This is incompatible with end-to-end encryption. However, the Online Safety Bill puts the onus on tech platforms to identify and remove child abuse content distributed on platforms, including when it is sent privately. On March 9, WhatsApp said it would rather be blocked in the UK than weaken its encryption under the Government’s Online Safety Bill.Įnd-to-end encryption means no one can see the contents of your messages, including WhatsApp itself. WhatsApp Companion Mode is currently in beta, and was introduced to the Android version of the platform in November 2022. This lets you use the same WhatsApp account on a second phone - handy if you switch between work and personal phones, or for putting a lid on migration anxiety when switching to a new phone. The next step for WhatsApp is Companion Mode. It spent a while in beta before becoming a normal WhatsApp feature in March 2022. This lets you use the service on laptops and desktops for up to two weeks, even if your phone was turned off or - gulp - dead. Non-phone WhatsApp platforms became a lot stronger in 2021 with a feature called Muti-device. It began with WhatsApp Web in 2015, an online interface that lets you chat over WhatsApp in a web browser.
This is part of the slow evolution of WhatsApp as something you use on only your phone, to a chat platform you can enjoy on most of your key tech devices.
Own a Mac instead of a PC? A desktop client is available from the WhatsApp website, but this does not currently let you make group video calls, only ones to individuals.