Although it may seem like a simple application, the truth is that WhatsApp hides behind it a mass of functions and options with which we can take advantage of the messaging tool. In addition to the company's business model, there are not exactly few doubts that remain in the air about the application. Can you tell if someone has blocked us? Where does the app get its money from if it can be downloaded for free? Can someone spy on my conversations? The answers, below.
Where does WhatsApp get the money from if it is free?
Probably the most frequent question around WhatsApp and its business model. Currently application revenue comes from two different avenues. The first one comes from third party companies that use WhatsApp as a professional tool .
WhatsApp Business is the version of the tool intended for freelancers, companies and professionals in general, a version that also allows managing different services outside the standard version of the application: customer service, sending news through an RSS newsletter , dissemination of messages on a large scale ...
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The second way of income draws directly from user data. As part of the puzzle made up of Facebook, the application exchanges information between Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger to show advertising related to our tastes on Facebook and Instagram. Stories, promoted publications ... Have you ever seen an advertisement on Instagram of a flight to that destination that you have talked so much about with your partner on WhatsApp? Now you know why.
How can I know if a person has blocked me?
The million dollar question. There are several ways to know for sure if a person has blocked us. If the profile photo has disappeared from the profile of the WhatsApp contact , it is quite likely that the person has blocked us. Also if the statuses of the person in question have disappeared .
Are your messages only receiving a tick ? With almost total probability the contact has blocked us. We can do nothing now to contact him, unless we use other messaging applications or a third party creates a WhatsApp group with the contact in question.
Can I see someone's photo if they block me?
The short answer is that no, we cannot see the photo of a WhatsApp person who has blocked us. The only way to view the profile photo of the contact in question is to use a different phone number .
There are applications that allow us to create a virtual phone number , although from tuexperto.com we strongly discourage its use for obvious reasons. We can also ask a trusted contact to send us a screenshot of the profile in question, although again we do not recommend carrying out this type of action.
What happens to the messages sent when a person blocks me?
Nothing. Messages are stored in a virtual limbo that cannot be disposed of by the recipient. What happens to those messages if the sender decides to temporarily unblock us? Again, nothing: they will be locked in that virtual limbo for life .
This also applies to multimedia files: they will not be sent to the recipient. It will only receive messages and multimedia elements if we decide to start a conversation again after removing the lock.
Is there a dark mode in WhatsApp like Twitter?
Yes. In fact, the official application has been updated just a few days ago, so we recommend updating WhatsApp to the latest version from the Play Store . The way to apply this mode is really simple.
The first thing we will have to do is go to the application settings through the three points on the top bar. Then we will go to the Chats section and finally to Tema . Within this section we will select Dark if we want the interface to always remain in the same colors or Default of the system if we want it to vary in relation to the time of day.
Is there a dark mode for iPhone? Not at the moment, although it is expected to arrive in the next few days . If it is in the trial version of WhatsApp. To access the beta of the application we will have to first download TestFlight, an application developed by Apple that allows you to download beta versions of certain applications.
- Download TestFlight for iPhone
After having installed the application on our iPhone we will have to access this link to enter the WhatsApp beta. With each new version 10,000 seats are released, so it is very likely that we will run out of invitation . Once we have installed the new version we will have to follow the process that we have described previously.
Can WhatsApp conversations be eavesdropped?
WhatsApp is not known for being precisely the most secure messaging application of all. Recently, the former leader of the Ciudadanos political party, Albert Rivera, reported to the authorities a hack of his personal WhatsApp account through an SMS with malicious code .
The latter is precisely the most frequent gateway for attackers and spies to WhatsApp. Therefore, it is best to ignore SMS that claim to belong to WhatsApp, modified applications of the aforementioned tool or fraudulent links that promise to "download colored WhatsApp". In Settings / Security we can activate the Verification option in two steps to create a session password and improve the security of the account.
Two-step verification will be activated periodically to ask us for the password that we have previously registered. It will also be activated when we change mobile device.
Another of the most frequent routes is based on WhatsApp Web. Since the login is stored in cookies, WhatsApp Web will remain active for life until we close the session in the browser through the application options. Closing the WhatsApp session every time we stop using the service is the best thing to do to avoid looking at others.
Can you add a password to WhatsApp to block its access?
Affirmative. Another feature that has recently been added to the stable version. In Android we can make use of the fingerprint sensor to block access to the application, while in iPhone we will use the facial unlocking or the fingerprint sensor if we have an iPhone model equal to or earlier than the iPhone 8.
To make use of this function we will go again to the WhatsApp settings, and more specifically to the Privacy section , where we will have to refer to the Fingerprint Lock option. Within this we can configure aspects such as the activation time or the hiding of the content of the notifications through the system functions.
What can I do if WhatsApp has suspended my account?
The suspension of accounts in WhatsApp can be due to various reasons related to non-compliance with Facebook's usage policies . Currently the company reserves the right to delete or suspend any user account if the following practices are carried out:
- WhatsApp is used as a tool to send spam to other users.
- WhatsApp is used to annoy other users.
- WhatsApp is used to send text or multimedia content (videos, sounds or images) that violates WhatsApp conditions. It can be content that is obscene, illegal, racist, xenophobic, misogynistic, threatening or of any kind that is included in the terms of the application.
- A modified version of WhatsApp is used to access the service.
Although suspensions usually have a minimum application period , we can refer to the company's support email ( [email protected] ) with the following information to unblock WhatsApp:
- Telephone number of the suspended account.
- Mobile phone model used at the time of suspension (Samsung SM-G9600, OnePlus 6T Global, iPhone 7 Plus…).
- Concise explanation of what happened (in English) and formal request for unlocking.
The average response time ranges from two to four days. After the deadline, it is likely that WhatsApp has decided to disregard our request. It should also be added that if we breach the conditions of the application again after having been unlocked, it is most likely that our account will be completely deleted .
Can I send WhatsApp messages without having the contact saved?
Correct, although in a somewhat particular way. Although there are applications that allow us to automate this process, we can carry it out ourselves by typing the following address in any browser:
- //api.whatsapp.com/send?phone=XXXXXXXXX (where XXXXXXXXX is the mobile number with which we want to start a conversation.
If we want to speak with the telephone number 612345678, the address will be set as follows:
- //api.whatsapp.com/send?phone=612345678
A new conversation will automatically open on WhatsApp with the number we have just registered without having to save your contact in the phone book.
How can I know who sees my WhatsApp status?
There are two ways to know the number of people our WhatsApp status is seen. The first is as simple as making a swipe gesture within the story in question from the bottom of the screen upwards. The interface that will be displayed below will be very similar to that of Instagram.
The other way to see the people who have viewed our status is by clicking on the three green dots that will be displayed next to the status. The full list of people who have seen our latest update will be displayed immediately , as we can see in the attached video.