WhatsApp: This is new in 2019
New functions come with the new year. We will introduce you to what will change in WhatsApp from 2019 onwards.
The smartphone is often overloaded by countless applications. But one can be found almost on every device: WhatsApp ! The instant messaging service is one of the largest social networks in the world, with 1.5 billion users and 60 billion messages sent per day. Since the company was acquired by Facebook in 2014, serious changes are expected. 2019 could be the starting point for this.
WhatsApp and Facebook
WhatsApp launched in 2009 as a simple app, could be published on the status messages. The founders Brian Acton and Jan Koum followed the development of the app to the short message service. For $ 22 billion, the two finally sold their company in 2014 on Facebook. Together, WhatsApp was developed further. For the coming year 2019, several new functions on WhatsApp are planned – because of one of the founders of the app have left the group. They no longer want to support the course that the company has taken.
New features for WhatsApp 2019:
- Holiday mode
Sometimes you just need a digital break – especially on vacation. WhatsApp will soon offer the vacation mode, where messages are muted and no longer visible. The messages received after activation are saved but not displayed on the smartphone. Until the mode is deactivated again.
- Sleep mode
You can already mute some chats on WhatsApp. The messages are then no longer displayed in the top bar. As a new feature, those messages will no longer appear as a number in the app icon on the home screen of the smartphone.
- Dark Mode or Night Mode
In addition, you should soon be able to admire and use WhatsApp in the dark design. This should primarily protect the eyes and especially in the evening or at night to transport less blue light, which is known to keep people from tired.
- Send your own logos as a sticker
Recently WhatsApp stickers are available, which you can send. A new feature will be that you can soon create your own stickers and then send them.
- Defining the lifetime of messages
It’s already known on Snapchat and Instagram: there, news disappears after a short time and is then no longer visible. From 2019 you can also set this for WhatsApp.
- WhatsApp-linked accounts WhatsApp is supposed to plan the function that users can soon link their account on WhatsApp with the other Facebook services such as Instagram. It is still unclear how this function should be introduced.
- Personal reply to groups in groups There is already the function of directly answering members in group chat. What’s new is that you can tap a received message and use the function “Reply privately” in the common chat history to refer to the message with this person.
- App-owned store is planned In-app purchases and micro-transactions are common in many apps. Now WhatsApp also plans to introduce its own store, in which, for example, stickers (similar to those of Facebook) can be downloaded. It is questionable whether the sticker packages will be free. However, it is reasonable to assume that not everything will be available for free.
WhatsApp founders are leaving Facebook
In the meantime, both founders of WhatsApp have left the company Facebook. This is due to opposing beliefs, especially in three topics: monitoring, data analysis and advertising. In the past they have repeatedly argued against financing the service through advertising. At the time of the acquisition, they decided that WhatsApp would not be profitable until 2019, so there would be no need to raise money. They have managed to protect their users for a while. But now this deadline has expired.
After Facebook has invested billions in the messenger service, this should now pay off financially. Of course, the easiest way to do this is to show advertisements. Facebook’s Vice President of Global Marketing Strategies Carolyn Everson defended the plan in a conversation with The Wall Street Journal: “Advertising for growing businesses is not at odds with people.”
This is how advertising is shown on WhatsApp 2019
According to WhatsApp Vice President Chris Daniels, advertising will now become the company’s main source of revenue. Because WhatsApp is especially attractive for companies that can reach users in a specific way. As of February 2019, ads will initially be displayed in the “Status” section of the app. The private chat thus remains initially ad-free. The advertising should be personalized, similar to Facebook itself, and thus be based on the interests of the WhatsApp user.
Personalized Advertising – How is this possible on WhatsApp?
But how does WhatsApp protect private messages through end-to-end encryption? Co-founder Brian Acton said in a conversation with “Forbes” critical that WhatsApp will soften the end-to-end encryption in order to make the app accessible to companies and promotional activities can play. That would provide more insight about WhatsApp users in the encrypted environment.
According to Facebook, WhatsApp advertising is a great way for people in emerging markets to reach and convince people.
New service: “WhatsApp Business API”
There is also a new service, “WhatsApp Business API”, which companies can use to connect directly with WhatsApp users via the chat feature. However: As a user you have to activate yourself, that you want to be accessible to companies on WhatsApp through advertising or in personal chat.
Of course, that can also have advantages. So you will request directly via WhatsApp a shipping confirmation, track his package or make an appointment. But if you agree with these new features, companies can send push notifications in addition to advertising in the “status” area and private chat messages. The advertising is practically nothing in the way.