New camera shortcut icon in WhatsApp beta for iOS 2.16.18.40. #hidden

WhatsApp Messenger (Android)
Version: 2.16.360
#WEBSITE #RELEASE
http://whatsapp.com/android/

What's new (@WABetaInfo changelog):
• Updated the English localization.
• Optimized 670 emojis.
• Optimized 125 icons.
• Small technical changes in GIF search layout.
• Added checks to verify if it is possible to load a GIF.
• Bugfixes.
• This version will expire on Sun May 7, 2017.
• This version still seems incompatible for Android OS 2.3.

NEW WHATSAPP JOB AVAILABLE

Software Engineering, as 'Web Software Developer, Web Client':
https://www.whatsapp.com/join/?dept=software-engineering&id=a0I1200000JXgIQEA1

WhatsApp beta for iOS 2.16.18.54: added the "Camera" label. #hidden

NOTE:
These statistics are for developers only.
Normal users will never see statistics.

WhatsApp beta for iOS 2.16.18.62: new backup encryption alert.
As I announced, backups should be encrypted, but WA isn't using now the E2E encryption (otherwise you won't able to restore your chats).

This is absolutely normal.
E2E encryption, if applied on backups, wouldn't allow to restore your chat history, but WhatsApp should uses another type of encryption now for backups.

WhatsApp beta for Android 2.16.365: improvements for showing the No results view when you use a GIF search provider. #hidden

The WhatsApp website has been updated now, adding the video calls description.

• There are other changes for icons in WhatsApp beta for iOS 2.16.18.68.
• The old "Chats" icon has been restored.

A new WhatsApp Desktop update is available now! (0.2.2478)

Visible changes:
• Big emojis are enabled by default now, like WhatsApp Web.
• The GIF Search provider (GIPHY or Tenor) is now enabled by default, like WhatsApp Web.
• You can now see shared media in group and contact info (added previously in WhatsApp Web only).

If you don't know where WhatsApp inserted the GIF search provider option, you can see this quoted screenshot of WhatsApp Web.

WhatsApp for iOS 2.16.18 is coming on the AppStore!
NOTE that another 2.16.18 beta may be available before.

I hope you like all news that I'm publishing!
But, unfortunately, there are some other Telegram channels that prefer to avoid to give me credits and they are writing posts where there are news that I already published here (in particular for WhatsApp Desktop).
This is a bad and disrespectful behavior. Another channel takes advantage of our discoveries to improve its prestige.
As you noticed, @WABetaInfo administrators are very active, and it's not very pretty to see that another channel is copying our news.. but this episode will push us to do better.
In particular, @WABetaInfo has 3 very secret information about WhatsApp, that will be immediately published when we will be able to enable them, like we did with many other WhatsApp features, and you will never see these 3 features in the other channel before @WABetaInfo (you can imagine why ¯\_(ツ)_/¯).
They can also copy these and other features from us, but you know that @WABetaInfo is the real owner or discoverer.

NOTE:
• I didn't publish changelogs of recent 2.16.18 beta for iOS because only changes are about icons and encryption.
• Two-Step verification feature can be remotely enabled in 2.16.18, but don't count on it too much: WhatsApp is unpredictable about hidden features that can be remotely enabled, I can only see if it is remotely possible.

Recently Facebook stopped collecting WhatsApp user data in Europe after government pressure, but I can affirm that Facebook continues to keep all old shared data that WhatsApp sent to them.
I will provide you an example, that is very disturbing.
Mainly, WhatsApp wrote that they sent to Facebook information for improving infrastructure and delivery systems, understanding how our services or theirs are used, securing systems, and fighting spam, abuse, or infringement activities.
But today, I found in my friendship suggestions an user that I never searched on Facebook (and we have 0 mutual friends).
I investigated and I discovered that this user is my brother's employer. So strange?
My brother never interacted with him on Facebook and they aren't friends, but my brother had the "Share my Account Info" option on WhatsApp enabled, and he had his phone number in the address book.
So, finally you can understand now how Facebook is using these information.
Personally I think this is a very misleading action and it violates the user privacy.
What do you think about this?

WhatsApp for iOS 2.16.18 is available now on AppStore.
As I announced in recent changelogs, WhatsApp 2.16.18 has:
• New icons for "Calls" and "Contacts" tabs, and very small changes for "Favorites" and "Settings" (only when selected) icons.
• Very small improvements for encryption.

Surprises are coming in next days in this channel!

A new WhatsApp Web update is available now! (0.2.2699)

New layout for forwarding messages in latest WhatsApp Web update to quickly forward to recent chats, that is very similar to iOS and Android now.
In next WADesktop update there will be the new layout.

Enabled by default in WhatsApp beta for iOS 2.17.1.482 beta.

New WhatsApp changelog released!

WhatsApp Messenger (iOS)
Version: 2.17.1.482
#BETA
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/whatsapp-messenger/id310633997?mt=8&uo=4

NOTES:
🔁 2.16.18 ➡️ 2.17.1: new era = new WhatsApp features!

What's new (@WABetaInfo changelog):
• Removed iOS 6 support. iOS 6 is no longer supported! WhatsApp requires iOS 7 and newer.
• Temporarily removed all Stickers references (that was hidden).
• Improvements for repairing the database.
• Improvements for Siri compatibily.
• Improvements for the Share Extension (iOS 8+).
• Improvements for the iOS 10 WhatsApp widget.
• Added the WhatsApp Status support (hidden)
• Added customized privacy options for Status (hidden)
• When WAStatus will be enabled by default for all, the "Favorites" tab will be removed.
• It's possible to set customized ringtones for every contact.
• Improvements for showing local notification (in particular for alerting errors).
• Added support to see videos while you are downloading them (hidden)
• Added support for sharing multiple vCards (hidden)
• Improvements for backup.
• It is possible to forward a message that you sent in a Broadcast list to Status (hidden).
• Improvements for reading web pages.
• Improvements for Right to Left localizations.
• Improvements for some gestures.
• Improvements for verifying trusted business contacts.
• Better internal management for groups.
• The "Clear" option in Storage Usage is now enabled by default.
• Added new icons for Contact and Group info.

New icon for "Encryption" in WhatsApp beta for iOS 2.17.1.482.