WhatsApp is now rolling out end-to-end encrypted chat cloud backups, enabling users to keep a copy of their messaging history without compromising their privacy. The feature is rolling out to users gradually while the company monitors the experience, ensuring any potential issues can be addressed before everyone has access to the backup option.
The previous week has been a rough one for Facebook, which experienced a widespread outage across its product family that left many people scrambling for alternative platforms. October 4 brought a massive outage that spanned from Facebook to Oculus, though the company resolved it after several hours. A few days later, the company was hit by another outage.
For the past few years, Facebook has not only been criticized but also sued for this or that improper behavior, ranging from privacy missteps to monopolistic business practices to harmful work cultures. There have been repeated calls to boycott Facebook and its properties Instagram and WhatsApp, and there has even been some mass exodus of users over the years. Despite all that negative publicity, Facebook still has a firm hold over people's lives today, something that was confirmed by the hours-long outage that affected not just users but even businesses worldwide.
Most of you already know this, but Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp have been down for most of the day. What might be even more surprising than those three services being down for more than a few minutes at a time is the fact that this outage is having a noticeable knock-on effect on the rest of the internet. In fact, many other social media websites are buckling under the strain of Facebook and Instagram users who are flocking to other services.
Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp are experiencing a widespread outage, with the social networks and instant messaging platform all offline for users in multiple locations. The outage comes amid renewed criticism of Facebook, after a whistleblower came forward with the company's own internal research that suggests it could have a negative impact on users.
Early peeks at software in development with WhatsApp showed info on Disappearing Messages and new chat bubbles this week. The bit with Disappearing Messages appear to be coming to iOS next, with message timer choices aplenty. This update in testing shows message timers at 24 hours, 7 days, 90 days, and (off).
![WhatsApp transcription for voice message audio tipped to work with Apple [Updated]](https://www.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/whatsapp-1-1278x720.jpg)
An ability to transcribe messages was leaked as a potential upcoming feature in WhatsApp. Information about the feature has not yet been confirmed by WhatsApp or Facebook, but details leaked this week suggest the "Transcription" system will work with Apple (and likely Google) to transcribe text and improve speech recognition. The first bit of this leak appeared in an iOS build of the app - so we'll likely see other angles soon.
WhatsApp has a cut-off date for a set of smartphones by the end of the year 2021. These devices will start to see their "end of service" message in WhatsApp starting on November 1, 2021. Before then, though, WhatsApp has a set of requirements that stand at Android OS 4.1 and newer, so long as that device is able to receive SMS or calls during the verification process. WhatsApp does not support Wi-Fi only devices.
Facebook seems to have something like a reverse Midas touch where it infects anything it buys with a certain curse. Social networks that were thriving before they became Facebook properties have been transformed into questionable businesses that rely on violating privacy to make a profit. That even includes WhatsApp, whose claim to fame has always been its end-to-end encryption and privacy guarantee. Now it turns out that there might be a small loophole that gives Facebook a bit of wiggle room to actually break that trust, usually under the guise of observing the law.
Instant messaging services introduced the idea of online statuses, allowing users to know whether their intended recipients are even around to read their messages. That eventually evolved into "Last Seen" information that gives other people some insight into a private part of your life. Most messaging services simply let you turn Last Seen visibility on or off, but WhatsApp might be considering a way to give users finer control over who can see it and who can't.
WhatsApp is a popular application that allows users to communicate with end-to-end encryption. The company says one of the features that users have most requested is the ability to export and import chat history between Android and iPhone devices. Previously, when users moved between smartphone operating systems, they lost the chat history.
Although it wasn't completely unexpected, it still scandalized many when WhatsApp announced a policy changed that unsurprisingly favored handing some information over to its parent company, Facebook. After trying to clarify its position, the messaging platform opted to delay its implementation but eventually pushed a Terms of Service that limited features unless you accepted them. These events resulted in a number of migrations to other chat services, and WhatsApp is now reportedly making amends by making those terms optional except in one specific case.