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WhatApp

WhatsApp Messenger, or simply WhatsApp, is an American freeware, cross-platform messaging and Voice over IP (VoIP) service owned by Facebook, Inc.[45] It allows users to send text messages and voice messages,[46] make voice and video calls, and share images, documents, user locations, and other media.[47][48] WhatsApp's client application runs on mobile devices but is also accessible from desktop computers, as long as the user's mobile device remains connected to the Internet while they use the desktop app.[49] The service requires users to provide a standard cellular mobile number for registering with the service.[50] In January 2018, WhatsApp released a standalone business app targeted at small business owners, called WhatsApp Business, to allow companies to communicate with customers who use the standard WhatsApp client.[51][52]

The client application was created by WhatsApp Inc. of Mountain View, California, which was acquired by Facebook in February 2014 for approximately US$19.3 billion.[53][54] It became the world's most popular messaging application by 2015,[55][56] and has over 2 billion users worldwide as of February 2020.[57] It has become the primary means of electronic communication in multiple countries and locations, including Latin America, the Indian subcontinent, and large parts of Europe and Africa.[55]

SMB and Enterprise platforms Edit
Until 2017, WhatsApp was for individual use between two smartphones. This enabled businesses to communicate with customers,[112] but not at scale (e.g. in a contact center environment). In September 2017 WhatsApp confirmed rumors[113][114] that they were building and testing two new tools for businesses:[97]

A free WhatsApp Business app for small companies[115]
An Enterprise Solution for bigger companies with global customer bases, such as airlines, e-commerce retailers and banks, who would be able to offer customer service and conversational commerce (e-commerce) via WhatsApp chat, using live agents or chatbots. (As far back as 2015, companies like Meteordesk[116] had provided unofficial solutions for enterprises to attend to large numbers of users, but these were shut down by WhatsApp.)
Platform support Edit
After months at beta stage, the official first release of WhatsApp launched in November 2009, exclusively at the App Store for iPhone. In January 2010, support for BlackBerry smartphones was added; and subsequently for Symbian OS in May 2010, and for Android OS in August 2010. In August 2011, a beta for Nokia's non-smartphone OS Series 40 was added. A month later, support for Windows Phone was added, followed by BlackBerry 10 in March 2013.[117] In April 2015, support for Samsung's Tizen OS was added.[118] Unofficial ports, Wazapp and Yappari, have also been released for the MeeGo-based Nokia N9[119] and the Maemo-based Nokia N900, respectively.[120]

The oldest device capable of running WhatsApp was the Symbian-based Nokia N95 released in March 2007. (As of June 2017, WhatsApp is no longer compatible with it.)

In August 2014, WhatsApp released an Android update, adding support for Android Wear smartwatches.[121]

In 2014, an unofficial open source plug-in, whatsapp-purple, was released for Pidgin, implementing its XMPP and making it possible to use WhatsApp on PCs running Microsoft Windows and Linux.[122][third-party source needed] WhatsApp responded by blocking phone numbers that used the plug-in.[citation needed]

On January 21, 2015, WhatsApp launched WhatsApp Web, a browser-based web client that could be used by syncing with a mobile device's connection.[123]

On February 26, 2016, WhatsApp announced they would cease support for BlackBerry (including BlackBerry 10), Series 40, and Symbian S60, as well as older versions of Android (2.2), Windows Phone (7.0), and iOS (6), by the end of 2016.[124] BlackBerry, Series 40, and Symbian support was then extended to June 30, 2017.[125] In June 2017, support for BlackBerry and Series 40 was once again extended until the end of 2017, while Symbian was dropped.[126]

Support for BlackBerry and older (version 8.0) Windows Phone and older (version 6) iOS devices was dropped on January 1, 2018, but was extended to December 2018 for Nokia Series 40.[127] In July 2018, it was announced that WhatsApp would soon be available for KaiOS feature phones.[128][129]

In October 2019, WhatsApp officially launched a new fingerprint app-locking feature for Android users.[130]

WhatsApp Web Edit
WhatsApp was officially made available for PCs through a web client, under the name WhatsApp Web, in late January 2015 through an announcement made by Koum on his Facebook page: "Our web client is simply an extension of your phone: the web browser mirrors conversations and messages from your mobile device—this means all of your messages still live on your phone". The WhatsApp user's handset must still be connected to the Internet for the browser application to function. All major desktop browsers are supported except for Internet Explorer. WhatsApp Web's user interface is based on the default Android one.[citation needed]

As of January 21, 2015, the desktop version was only available to Android, BlackBerry, and Windows Phone users. Later on, it also added support for iOS, Nokia Series 40, and Nokia S60 (Symbian).[131][132]

An unofficial derivative called WhatsAppTime has been developed, which is a standard Win32 application for PCs and supports notifications through the Windows notification area.[133]

There are similar solutions for macOS, such as the open-source ChitChat.[134][135][136]

Microsoft Windows and Mac Edit
On May 10, 2016, the messaging service was introduced for both Microsoft Windows and macOS operating systems. WhatsApp currently does not allow audio or video calling from desktop operating systems. Similar to the WhatsApp Web format, the app, which will be synced with a user's mobile device, is available for download on the website. It supports OS versions of Windows 8 and OS X 10.10 and higher.[137][138][139]

Apple iPad Edit
A story circulated in 2019 that iPad support was coming.[140]

However, as of March 2020, WhatsApp does not run on the Apple iPad. From the WhatsApp iOS page (accessed March 2020): "WhatsApp is a telephony app, so iPod and iPad are not supported devices."[141]

iPad users searching for WhatsApp are shown, numerous third-party clients. Several top results have names and logos resembling WhatsApp itself, and some users do not realize they are using a third-party client. Unfortunately, using third-party clients runs the risk to the user of their phone number being permanently banned.

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