FACEBOOK-OWNED MESSAGING SERVICE WhatsApp is reportedly looking to boost its one billion-strong user base with the launch of native apps for OS X and Windows.
So says the @WABetaInfo, a Twitter account dedicated to posting information on upcoming WhatsApp builds and releases. Over the weekend, it tweeted screenshots which appear to show that download buttons are in the works for Windows and Mac versions of the messaging app (below), a sign that WhatsApp could be looking to take on the likes of Slack and Skype.
Naturally, the legitimacy of the screenshots remains in doubt, and WhatsApp has yet to comment on the leak.
You can see these screenshots. #WhatsApp#Mac#Windows#NativeClient#iOS#Android#WP#Blackberry#Symbian#Nokiapic.twitter.com/AKja58zf5C — WABetaInfo (@WABetaInfo) April 29, 2016
The news comes as more leaked screenshots have suggested that WhatsApp is planning to roll out a new video calling feature to its Android and iOS apps.
These screenshots come courtesy of PhoneRadar and show a beta version of WhatsApp’s mobile app with a Facebook Messenger-style camera icon in the top right corner of the chat window. Additionally, it also shows a new Video Call option in WhatsApp’s list of connectivity options.
It’s not all good news for WhatsApp users, though, in particularly those in Brazil, where a judge has ordered telecoms firms in the area to block access WhatsApp for 72 hours.
The reason for the order is not known due to legal secrecy in an ongoing case in the Sergipe state court, according to a report at the Guardian.
In a statement, WhatsApp said the company was “disappointed at the decision” after doing the utmost to cooperate with Brazilian tribunals, adding that the decision “punishes more than 100 million users who depend upon us to communicate themselves, run their business and more, just to force us to hand over information that we don’t have.”
Source: The Inquirer.
