WhatsApp adds two new browsers to its web client messaging

[Justin Kahn]

About a month ago WhatsApp announced that its 700 million users will be able to access the popular messaging service through a new web browser client. Since then the company began rolling out voice calling features, but has now returned its focus to the browser adding a few new options for its massive user base.

While previously limited to Google’s Chrome web surfer, WhatsApp has now added support for both FireFox and Opera. Much like the Chrome set-up process, users will simply need to navigate to the web client and scan a QR code in order to connect the browser app with their mobile WhatsApp account. As we previously reported, because all your conversations on the web client will be kept on your mobile device, your phone will need to remain connected during your browser calls.

As you might know, WhatsApp uses no passwords or user names and instead relies on a user’s mobile phone number for identification. Due to the QR requirements and what WhatsApp describes as iOS limitations, this service is only available for those with Android, Windows Phone and BlackBerry devices at this point.

While Safari and iOS users appear to be still left out in the cold as we previously explained, WhatsApp did say publicly that an iOS compatible client was on its way.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/59878-whatsapp-adds-two-new-browsers-web-client-messaging.html

 

[VitalyT]

WhatsApp announced that its 700 million users...

I haven't met anyone personally who would use or ever mention WhatsApp application, even though I work in IT. So when someone starts claiming they scooped in 10% of the earth population as their registered users, they are usually so full of the proverbial substance, you'd really want to stay far away from them.

Or, am I being ignorant or missing something?

 

[Jos]

WhatsApp announced that its 700 million users...

I haven't met anyone personally who would use or ever mention WhatsApp application, even though I work in IT. So when someone starts claiming they scooped in 10% of the earth population as their registered users, they are usually so full of the proverbial substance, you'd really want to stay far away from them.

Or, am I being ignorant or missing something?

WhatsApp is huge outside of the U.S. Some countries are even using the term “WhatsAppear” as a verb to mean communicating through WhatsApp -- just like 'googling' became a verb for searching something online. If the new voice call feature works as well as they claim carriers may have something to worry about -- then again they still charge you for data usage, so...

Here's some recent data on market penetration per country and region.

 

[VitalyT]

WhatsApp is huge outside of the U.S. Some countries are even using the term “WhatsAppear” as a verb to mean communicating through WhatsApp -- just like 'googling' became a verb for searching something online. If the new voice call feature works as well as they claim carriers may have something to worry about -- then again they still charge you for data usage, so...

Here's some recent data on market penetration per country and region.

Thanks. Looking at the first link I start feeling like a Japanese.

 

[EEatGDL]

I second Jos, I live in Mexico and it's a huge deal here. Even tech ignorant people (those that know how to do less than 5 basic tasks in a smartphone/computer) use it -because people they know use it.

 

[Experimentongod]

I live in Spain and I can confirm that this thing is really big here too. If the servers go down it's all over the news.

 

[mojorisin23]

Whatsapp is everywhere... less so in the US but I know of no one in Europe that does not use it daily... let alone asia and S America.