Estos días seguramente vio que la aplicación de WhatsApp, tanto en el navegador en la computadora como en el celular, presentaban una notificación de actualización y con ello aparecía una leyenda entre los mensajes de cada contacto y de los grupos que indicaba:
“Your security code changed with (contact name or each member of the registered group).Click for more information ".
The update is intended, according to the same firm explains in the related information, provide greater security to the users of the application through new measures and guarantees of communications encryption.
Additionally, the application introduces new functionalities (such as messages that self -destruct at seven days, photos that can only be seen once or audios that can be accelerated).Some of them were already implementing, but without much advertising.WhatsApp announced that more changes will come.
The adjustments apply for both people and companies (who use the WhatsApp Business service) for communications with their customers.
The promise is that updates will bring other advantages for all.Or that promises the app owner of Meta Platforms Inc., the new nomenclature of the creative firm of Facebook and that, among other applications, had acquired WhatsApp in 2014.
The change will have a greater impact for those who have devices with somewhat old operating systems, such as Android 2.3.7 Gingerbread (included).Smartphones with this operating system must have the Android 4 version.0.3 ICE Cream Sandwich or later.
"They are phones that were marketed between 2012 and 2013," said Alonso Ramírez, a member of the Cybersecurity Commission of the College of Computer and Computing Professionals (CPPP).
Being outdated, new functionalities will not be able to run."WhatsApp is not going to work at all," said Ramírez.
In the case of the iPhone, in February 2020, the WhatsApp app stopped working on the devices with iOS 8 or previous.It will be necessary to have the iOS 9 version.3.6.
So that
The update implemented from November 1 allows that, when you are chatting with another person or with a company, the message and what is shared (photos and videos) are encrypted "from end to end", according to the application.
Contact identification
The update will identify whether who communicates with you is really the one who claims to be;You can identify whether the profile of a company or a person.
"Before you could not identify whether someone passed through a company, although there is always the risk that a cybercone clone an account or gets through a company or bank through the supplant of identity," said Ramírez.
Updated
Ramírez recommends updating the app.If someone writes to you and you see that the message cannot be read and this legend appears instead: “Waiting for the message.Check your phone ”is because the app is required to update.The application emphasizes users: "Make sure both are using the most recent version of WhatsApp".
Activate QR
Activate the QR code that is linked to each contact (go to the profile) in order to guarantee more communications protection.It will not be necessary to save that code or the linked codes, because they will not be requested every time you communicate with your contact."It's to make the association with each contact," said Ramírez.
What does the “Confirm Security Code” screen mean in contact information?
WhatsApp explains that end -to -end chats have their own security code that is used to verify that calls and messages are encrypted from extreme to end.
The code is found on the contact information screen in QR code format and also as a 60 -digit code.They are unique codes for each chat and the participants of each chat can compare them to confirm that the messages that are sent in that chat are encrypted from end to end.
Security codes are a visible version of these special keys shared between them, but WhatsApp advances that it is not the key itself, since it always remains secret.
To confirm that a chat is encrypted from end to end, you must follow the various steps:
"Open the chat.".
"Take the contact name to go to the information screen.
—To encrypted to see the QR code or 60 digits.
Calls
One of the changes introduced is that now, when a voice conversation has begun through the group app, you can integrate a person who was late.If the person is invited as soon as he clicks on the "Unite" button."Before you could not and had to start the conversation again," said Ramírez.
WhatsApp says that you have no way to listen to calls or see the content of the messages because the encryption and deciphering of the messages sent and received by WhatsApp occurs completely on the device.
"Before a message leaves your device, it is assured with a cryptographic lock, of which only the recipient has the key," says the company."In addition, the keys change with each message that is sent.All this happens in the background, but you can confirm that your conversations are protected if you check the security verification code on your phone ”.
Preview
Previously if someone sent a video, we had to download it inside the same app to be able to see it;Now the videos come with a preview, which allows to decide whether or not to reproduce it.
WhatsApp also indicated that previous link views were updated to show more complete preview, including large images.You can also silence the videos and prevail their size before sharing them.
Functionalities have also been announced to play videos of different platforms (YouTube, Facebook) and your own browser to watch web pages directly in the application.Are among the novelties to wait.
Traceability
Companies have the possibility to save communications with their customers (so that you can verify the information sent on products and services, claims and agreed prices), but they must maintain compliance with privacy and protection standards of personal data.
WhatsApp indicates: “Once the message is received, the company's corresponding privacy practices will be submitted.The company can designate a specific amount of employees, or even suppliers, to process the message and respond. ”.
The company adds: “Some companies will be able to choose the WhatsApp parent company, Facebook, to safely store the messages and respond to customers.Although Facebook will not use your messages automatically to obtain information and associate it with the ads you see, companies can use the chats they receive for their own marketing purposes, which could include advertising on Facebook.You can contact these companies to get more information about their privacy practices ”.
Payments
One of the existing problems with the app is that payments or transfers could not be made via WhatsApp.Now this functionality will be available at WhatsApp Business in several selected markets.WhatsApp emphasizes that when a message is sent to a company account of the application "it is safely delivered" to the destination that the company chose
"The function of payments in WhatsApp (available in certain countries) allows transfers between accounts of financial institutions," reports the company.“The card numbers and bank accounts are stored in an encrypted manner in a network with a high level of safety.However, because financial institutions cannot process operations without receiving information related to payments, these are not encrypted from extreme to extreme ”.
Synchronization
Ramírez stressed that one of the improvements is automatic synchronization between mobile app and web app.This functionality already existed in some versions and rather, synchronization difficulties with the new version could occur.Ramírez recommended restarting teams.
Otras novedades
WhatsApp also indicated that the new version admits to search stickers while multimedia elements or its status are published.
Other new functionalities come, some of which will be activated "in the coming weeks" and others are already activated:
—Mensajes que se autodestruyen: los mensajes desaparecerán después de siete días, para lo cual se ingresa a un chat de un contacto, luego a la configuración (pulse sobre el nombre de la persona), va a mensajes temporales y se activa la funcionalidad.In group chats this functionality is activated by the administrator.
—Fotos de una sola vez: Otra funcionalidad es que al enviar una foto se tendrá la opción de ver solo una vez (quien envía la imagen se pulsa sobre el número 1 que aparece en el espacio para texto).
—Multidispositivo: se puede utilizar la app en hasta cuatro dispositivos a la vez siempre verifique su identidad.
—Sin Internet: otra de las novedades es que la función se podrá utilizar sin conectividad a Internet.
—Acelerar audios: ¿cansado de los audios extensos? Se podrán acelerar hasta 1,5x y 2x (cuando da clic para escuchar, en la foto de la persona que envía el audio aparece la indicación de 1, 1,5 o 2 y se acelera).This functionality had already been introduced, but it was not much diffusion either.
—Otras “novedades”: escuchar audios desde la notificación (sin abrir la app) y cámara mejorada (se puede recortar las dimensiones de un video, añadir sticker, texto o línea y filtros), comprobación de fotos con búsqueda inversa en Google y limitación de reenvío de mensajes para disminuir reenvío de fake news, silenciar grupos y llamadas desde WhatsApp Web, entre otras, algunas ya implementadas y otras en modo espera.