WHATSAPP has warned that it will ban users of a new, unofficial version of its chat app that has gone viral on social media.
“GB WhatsApp”, a third-party Android app, shares many of the characteristics of its namesake but with a number of extra features.
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It offers the ability to auto-reply, send more photos and hide read receipts on top of other benefits that are not available on the “real” app.
Built by an anonymous developer, the clone isn’t available on Android’s Google Play Store and must instead be downloaded via a web page.
In a recent update to its website, WhatsApp underlined that third-party WhatsApp copycats are banned under its terms of service.
Those who use them face a permanent ban from WhatsApp unless they switch over to the official version of the app.
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“If you received an in-app message stating your account is ‘Temporarily banned’ this means that you’re likely using an unsupported version of WhatsApp instead of the official WhatsApp app,” the US firm said.
“If you don’t switch to the official app after being temporarily banned, your account might be permanently banned from using WhatsApp.”
The Facebook-owned chat app said that third-party apps that link with WhatsApp are banned due to security concerns.
“Unsupported apps, such as WhatsApp Plus, GB WhatsApp, or apps that claim to move your WhatsApp chats between phones, are altered versions of WhatsApp,” WhatsApp said.
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“These unofficial apps are developed by third parties and violate our Terms of Service.
“WhatsApp doesn’t support these third-party apps because we can’t validate their security practices.”
To switch to the official version of WhatsApp, you might need to backup your chat history first.
You can do that by following the guidelines laid out on the WhatsApp website, here.
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In other news, Instagram is making it easier for you to publicly display your pronouns on your profile.
Facebook is facing backlash in the US over plans to create a version of Instagram for children under 13.
And, China is claiming to be a world leader in 6G technology.
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This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk
