WhatsApp explains what happens if you don’t bow to its will by May 15

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WhatsApp sparked an intense backlash earlier this year after updating its privacy policy which talks about sharing data with Facebook, essentially asking users to accept them and continue using the service, or risk losing their accounts. by rejecting the changes. After much criticism and debate over the privacy concerns, the company pushed the implementation of its new policy to May 15, and since then has been trying to educate and convince users of the changes. Now, WhatsApp has explained what will happen to your account if you don’t agree to the updated privacy policies after the May 15 deadline.

If you don’t press the “Accept” button in time…

You will not be able to send messages or read incoming SMS

If you don’t agree to the new privacy policies after May 15, you will lose some key features. Which exactly? “For a short time, you will be able to receive calls and notifications, but you will not be able to read or send messages from the app,” the company says on a new FAQ page titled What happens on the effective date?

You will lose key functions and deletion of the risky account

As for the “ little time ” in WhatsApp’s ominous announcement, it will last a few weeks (via TechCrunch). WhatsApp has reportedly started sending out a statement detailing the aforementioned changes to its merchant partners, who are apparently business accounts that use the platform for commerce and pay a fee in exchange for the Facebook-owned company.

What are your options?

So you now have two options:

  1. You cede and accept the new privacy policies.
  2. Download your chat history and delete your WhatsApp account.

You will still be able to accept the policy change after the May 15 deadline

Now WhatsApp says you can still accept its new privacy policies after May 15 and start using the app with full functionality again. However, once the deadline has been reached and you have not clicked on the “ACCEPT” button, your account will be classified as inactive. And inactive accounts are automatically deleted after 120 days. Here’s what WhatsApp classifies as inactivity on its official FAQ page:

An internet connection is required for an account to be active. If a user has opened WhatsApp on their device, but does not have an internet connection, the account will be inactive.

So, you basically have 120 days to think about and agree to (or reject) the updated WhatsApp privacy policies. However, every day after May 15, you’ll have to live with limited functionality (read: Not being able to send or read messages) if you haven’t agreed to the new rules.

What if you delete your WhatsApp account?

Or, you can download your chat history and say goodbye to WhatsApp. However, the company says that if you delete your account, you will be banned from all groups, and all of your chat history and backups will be permanently deleted. “This is something that we cannot reverse”, Says WhatsApp.

Alternatively, you can migrate your WhatsApp data to Telegram that the latter offers. You can move your WhatsApp conversation – including media and documents – from personal and group chats with a new chat export feature in Telegram.

Nadeem sarwar

I’ve been writing about consumer tech for over three years now, having worked with names like NDTV and Beebom in the past. In addition to covering the latest news, I’ve reviewed my fair share of devices ranging from smartphones and laptops to smart home devices. I’ve also interviewed tech executives and appeared as a host in YouTube videos talking about the latest and greatest gadgets.



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