WhatsApp Questions and Answers thread

[David Best]

Problem is that WhatsApp doesn't use a standard protocol to communicate between device and server so writing a third party app isn't as simple as something like G-Talk which uses the XMPP protocol

if the wp8 platform has taught us anything its that if theres app we don't have someone will find a way to make one, shout out to instagraph, instance and swapchat

 

[broar94]

^^ WhatsApp is world's number one IM app and we can't make everyone switch to others just because WP8 app isnt good enough.

 

[husam2277]

Guys is that true that whatsapp beta is removed from the store a few days back? what that could mean?

 

[Rolorob]

Holy crap! Maybe it's done and going through certification? Let's hope so!! Can beta-testers verify this information?

And where did you hear this Husam?

 

[ah06]

I am sorry if I'm being hurtful here, but you are a SERIOUSLY weak character if you don't recommend a WHOLE OS for an app. Sure - it's important, but hey, the opertaing system is on the market less than a year, when whatsapp came to iPhone OS on version 3.1.2 , it was rubbish. So , it took some time for them to enhance the app, and that's what's happening right now with WP.

I would recommend WP8 , regardless of this app.

Yes that's harsh. He was right in not recommending it.

Let me try and explain. On BBs, BBM is an enterprise grade messaging system. It may *look* like iMessage, Skype, FB Messenger, Whatsapp, Viber, Kik, KakaoTalk, WeChat or Line but it is an entriely different beast. The latter are all pretty unreliable and have dropouts and all around less reliability than BBM. Feature wise they might not be that different but reliability wise, they are worlds apart. Companies use BBM as their *primary* communication tools (they are unaffected by the BIS outages since they have their own BES servers). That's another huge difference. All the other apps (as well as consumer BIS BBM) run over a fragile backend system. BBM for enterprises (over BES) works over a super reliable system.

These things are core communication apps. If they fail, the OS is of no use. I use a Nexus and a L920 as my primary phones at all time so I'm well aware of the quality differences in the messaging aspects.
On Nexus, I have FB Messenger, Whastapp, Google Talk/Hangouts and soon BBM to reach others
On 920, there is no FB Messenger (the Messenging integration one doesn't allow for instant offline messaging), there is no reliable Whatsapp, there is no Hangouts/Gtalk and there won't be any BBM.

Its not just about Whatsapp, WP as an OS is in danger of being sidelined due to the messaging aspect. We don't have a first class experience on any of the BIG ecosystems in messaging. There are huge holes like FB Messenger, Talk/Hangouts and BBM. Whatsapp is half a hole. It is not nearly as bad on other platforms.

In terms of missing features, here is a partial list of features we still don't have (both critical and nice-to-have-but-not-essential ones)

1) Search in contacts
2) Search in messages (this is crucial)
3) Email Chat history is broken due to WP limitation (you can't mail a whole convo, it truncates it)
4) Typing notifications on the "Chats" screen when chatting with multiple (not in particular chat itself)
5) Standardised emoticons support
6) Holes in group chat functionality compared to other platforms (also crucial)
7) Ability to see status update time
8) Ability to save profile pictures
9) Audio API related issues (battery consumption which will kill your device so much faster, kills BT integration with car audio system, erases last played history)
10) Cannot attach audio and video from library
11) Cannot forward, copy or delete multiple messages
12) Media history feature broken
13) No wallpapers
14) Home screen shortcuts to specific contact chats
15) No network usage stats
16) Support for 'fast resume' WP functonality

And those are just missing features, not bugs or reliability issues they need to fix.
It's possible this all seems tiny if Whatsapp is something that you fire up once or twice a day to message International contacts but when its your *primary* mode of communication and you run a business on it, these are massive issues not just with WA, but also of the larger WP messaging scene.

Cross your fingers and hope MS sorts out the Messenger/Skype messaging mess so that MS has its own native Messaging ecosystem. Else it will be elbowed out with no one primarily catering to it (as it already seems locked out of the iMessage, BBM, Talk/Hangouts and FB Messenger ecosystems)
Skype is ridiculously bad as a text messenger and has a cluttered UI, not to mention MS still doesn't seem to get mobile messaging because Skype, like Messenger has no robust offline messaging or always on abilities to facilitate real time IM as it can for real time VoIP.

 

[anon(6183039)]

If only MS or Nokia knew,
- how I was convinced to go from BlackBerry to WinPhone because all my BBM groups members are also in the Whatsapp groups (making migration not painful),

- how I can't recommend WinPhone to friends because of not-recently-updated Whatsapp,

- how I'm sure that a lot of WinPhone users are in the same situation with me,

I'm sure that MS/Nokia can lend a hand/some money/resources to Whatsapp developers. Can't they?

Well, may be not.. MS and Nokia each has their own messaging service (Skype, Pulse). Hmm..

Still waiting though..

Yeah man.. if only Skype worked... It is as broken as WhatsApp.

 

[Jonathan Piferrer]

I Cannot understand.... for example here in Argentina, people LOVES Android but they are getting tired of it... i recommended everybody WP, 100% of that people use Whatsapp all day, and now they are thinking about switching to Android again because thay say Whatsapp its useless...

Cmon, hurry up, we can lose WP users....!!!!

 

[husam2277]

Holy crap! Maybe it's done and going through certification? Let's hope so!! Can beta-testers verify this information?

And where did you hear this Husam?

check this link and translate it because its written in italian language...
http://tecnonation.net/2013/07/05/e...dalla-fase-beta-dallo-store-di-windows-phone/

 

[DennisvdG]

check this link and translate it because its written in italian language...
http://tecnonation.net/2013/07/05/e...dalla-fase-beta-dallo-store-di-windows-phone/

Yes finally!, first spotify gets updated and now this seems to be out very soon , those have always been my only two buggy apps on wp

 

[ttsoldier]

What's app doesn't take long to go through certification. I believe there were 3 updates in February consecutively.

Edit.

it was on the 21st, 23rd and 24th that updates were released back in February.

 

[Regen Meter]

Let's hope this is actually true. I don't think WhatsApp needs 4 days either. Just a theory: Nokia is going to announce WhatsApp 2.10 coming Thursday during the Lumia 1020 event...

The Nokia & WhatsApp teams are working together and all.

 

[ttsoldier]

Let's hope this is actually true. I don't think WhatsApp needs 4 days either. Just a theory: Nokia is going to announce WhatsApp 2.10 coming Thursday during the Lumia 1020 event...

The Nokia & WhatsApp teams are working together and all.

This has been rumored before, especially since Nokia is working closely with whatsapp on this version.

 

[broar94]

Excellent... Cant wait for the battery drain to stop

 

[Jonathan Piferrer]

Ok, so i stop posting until 11 July... and pray for: Nokia, Whatsapp Inc, Microsoft, Steve Jobs, Lionel Messi, Michael Jordan, and etc... everybody hahahha ...!

 

[sueha]

ok, so i stop posting until 11 july...

thank you!

 

[germao]

I don't know what are they waiting for

 

[germao]

This has been rumored before, especially since Nokia is working closely with whatsapp on this version.

Instagram was supposed to be announce during lumia 925 keynote....

 

[Flavio76]

I don't know what are they waiting for

4 months since last whatsapp update.....

 

[rianash]

I am sorry if I'm being hurtful here, but you are a SERIOUSLY weak character if you don't recommend a WHOLE OS for an app. Sure - it's important, but hey, the opertaing system is on the market less than a year, when whatsapp came to iPhone OS on version 3.1.2 , it was rubbish. So , it took some time for them to enhance the app, and that's what's happening right now with WP.

I would recommend WP8 , regardless of this app.

I can't recommend something to friends based on probability (say, it's going to be ok because it is now good on iOS). To me, the stronger character is the one who recommend something based on proven facts, than on probabilities. But that's just me.

Anyway, I believe the update will come soon so that I can recommend WP ecosystem to friends without any hesitation.

 

[SteakPieHarry]

Does anyone send voice messages on Whatsapp? I send them on my Samsung Ativ S and they have this weird echo/distortion that makes them unintelligible. I thought it was the app but I'm beginning to think it's actually my phone. Some weird issue with the mic. Can any kind soul test some voice clips on their phone? You don't have to send them to anyone, just record and listen back to your message. I'd say 50% of mine are messed up. Any help appreciated!