New WhatsApp feature allows users to send messages from computer without a phone

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WhatsApp introduces a feature that allows users to send messages from a computer without needing to connect their smartphone.

The messaging platform already has a PC app, but until now users have needed their phones on and connected to be able to send messages and make calls.

With this new feature, WhatsApp users will be able to send messages on PC (Mac or Windows) even if their phone is disconnected or turned off.

WhatsApp users will also be able to enjoy video and audio chats on WhatsApp for PC without their phone.

As part of the change, up to four other companion devices other than phones, such as PCs and tablets, will be able to connect to WhatsApp independently of a smartphone.

WhatsApp is testing the feature with “a small group of users” in a beta test before “slowly rolling it out more widely,” the company said.

Up to four other companion devices other than phones – like PCs and tablets – will be able to connect to WhatsApp independently of a smartphone

HOW IT WORKS?

Starting with a small group of users, WhatsApp for PC (Mac or Windows) will send messages even when your smartphone is turned off.

Until now, users had to have their phones turned on and logged in to send messages on WhatsApp for PC.

It will work on up to four “non-phone” companion devices simultaneously (in addition to your phone if it’s on and connected).

The feature is being tracked in the WhatsApp beta program before it is gradually rolled out to all users.

“Very excited to launch a beta of our new multi-device capability for WhatsApp,” said Will Cathcart, Director of WhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook.

“You can now use our desktop or web experiences even when your phone is not active and connected to the Internet. “

WhatsApp is best known for its mobile app, although it was originally released for PCs in 2015.

In March of this year, WhatsApp rolled out one-on-one voice and video calling for the desktop version of its chat platform on Windows PCs and Apple Macs.

WhatsApp started rolling out voice calling for its mobile app in 2015 and video calling the following year. The March update brought these two features to WhatsApp for desktop.

Currently, you can download WhatsApp for your Mac or Windows computer by visiting www.whatsapp.com/download.

Once downloaded, you can connect it to your WhatsApp account by pointing your phone’s camera at a QR code that appears on the PC screen.

Once done, you can start sending messages from the desktop app, but in order to do this your phone must be on and connected to the internet.

So, if you willingly send messages on your PC and your phone dies, turns off or disconnects from the internet, you can no longer send messages on PC.

Previously you had to have your phone turned on and logged in to send messages on WhatsApp for PC

WHAT IS END-TO-END ENCRYPTION?

End-to-end encryption ensures that only the two participants in a chat can read the messages, and no one in between, not even the company that owns the service.

End-to-end encryption is intended to prevent data from being read or altered in secret while it is in transit between the two parties.

The cryptographic keys needed to access the service are automatically provided to only two people in each conversation.

In decrypted form, messages are accessible by a third party, making them interceptable by governments for law enforcement purposes.

WhatsApp owned by Facebook is already encrypted, and now Mark Zuckerberg is looking to do the same with Facebook Messenger and Instagram Direct.

A warning message appears on the PC application saying: “Phone not connected. Make sure your phone has an active internet connection. ‘

With the new change, it doesn’t matter if your phone is turned off or disconnected, you will still be able to send chats on WhatsApp for PC.

And you’ll be able to do this on up to four “non-phone” companion devices simultaneously (in addition to your phone if it’s on and connected).

The platform detailed the change in a Facebook Engineering blog post and how it affects end-to-end encryption.

It will work “while maintaining the same level of privacy and security,” he added, referring to the privacy standard.

End-to-end encryption ensures that only the two participants in a chat can read the messages, and no one in between, not even the company that owns the service.

WhatsApp, which was acquired by Facebook in 2014 for around $ 19 billion, claims that every private message sent using WhatsApp is secured with end-to-end encryption by default.

It acts as an “unbreakable digital lock” that keeps message content secure and visible to anyone except the sender and recipient.

End-to-end encryption is intended to prevent data from being read or altered in secret while it is in transit between the two parties.

The cryptographic keys needed to access the service are automatically provided only to two people in each conversation, via their phone.

This meant that each smartphone acted as “the source of truth” and was the only device capable of end-to-end encryption of messages for another user.

It also meant that WhatsApp for PC simply acted as a “mirror” of what was being dictated by the phone (even though users were typing the actual messages using their PCs).

But with the multi-device feature, every device linked to a WhatsApp account – including PCs and tablets – now has its own identity key, so they no longer rely on the phone for end-to-end encryption. .

Before the introduction of the multi-device feature, all WhatsApp users were identified by a single identity key from which all encrypted communication keys were derived.

But with multi-device, every device linked to a WhatsApp account – including PCs and tablets – now has its own identity key.

“We have developed new technologies to maintain end-to-end encryption while managing to keep your data in sync – such as contact names, chat archives, tracked messages, etc. – across all devices,” says WhatsApp in the publication.

“To achieve this, we had to rethink the architecture of WhatsApp and design new systems to enable a stand-alone multi-device experience while maintaining end-to-end privacy and encryption.”

End-to-end encryption is widely touted by WhatsApp as a leading security standard for online messaging that it would never get rid of.

But plans to introduce the privacy standard on Facebook messaging, as well as Instagram (which is also owned by Facebook) appear to have stalled.

This may be in part due to opponents of child welfare charities, who said end-to-end encryption makes it harder for authorities to detect pedophiles who text children on WhatsApp.

WHEN WILL END-TO-END ENCRYPTION ON FACEBOOK?

In the spring of 2019, Mark Zuckerberg announced his intention to introduce end-to-end encryption on Facebook and its other platforms (except WhatsApp, which already has it).

In a blog post, Zuckerberg called the feature “an important tool in the development of a privacy-focused social network.”

“Encryption is decentralized – it prevents services like ours from seeing the content passing through them and makes it much more difficult for anyone to access your information,” he said.

Two years later, however, there is no sign of the change being implemented.

Facebook later revealed that Messenger’s encryption by default will take years.

The final word was from Jon Millican, Facebook’s software engineer for Messenger privacy, in January 2020.

“I’m going to be honest for now and say we’re still in a situation where we have more questions than answers,” Millican said.

“While we have made progress in the planning, it turns out that adding end-to-end encryption to an existing system is incredibly difficult and involves fundamentally rethinking almost everything.”

The opposition of activist shareholders of Facebook may explain the long delay.

A Facebook spokesperson told MailOnline that the company did not “share a schedule” for a deployment, but described it as a “long-term project.”

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