Facebook-owned messaging service WhatsApp has announced the launch of a
trial aimed at freeing its users from smartphones. In a blog post, Facebook
engineers said the new feature would allow for the hugely popular service be
used on multiple "non-phone" devices without needing to connect to the
smartphone app.
"With this new capability, you can now use WhatsApp on your phone and up to
four other non-phone devices simultaneously - even if your phone battery is
dead," the blog post said.
Since its launch in 2009 as a smartphone messaging app, WhatsApp has amassed
more than two billion users around the world and been acquired by Facebook.
WhatsApp can already be used on "companion devices," such as computers, but
exchanges are routed in such a way that if a person's smartphone is offline
or has zero battery, it will not work.
Other issues can arise as well, such as frequent disconnection.
"The new WhatsApp multi-device architecture removes these hurdles" by no
longer requiring a smartphone to perform every operation, the company said.
The new capability will be expanded more broadly as it is refined, Facebook
added.
It also made assurances that WhatsApp's security measures will still work
under the new system.
"Each companion device will connect to your WhatsApp independently while
maintaining the same level of privacy and security through end-to-end
encryption that people who use WhatsApp have come to expect."
RTÉ News.
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