By Emily Caulkett-
WhatsApp is now testing an app for Wear OS 3 on devices like the Galaxy Watch 5, Pixel Watch and others. It offers much of the functionality of the mobile versions, showing recent chats and contacts, while allowing you to send voice and text messages.
In order to set up the app, you’ll need to have the Beta version of WhatsApp on your phone. After installing the app on your watch, it will display an eight-digit alphanumeric code that you punch in to the mobile app.
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WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging applications worldwide, providing users with an easy-to-use and free service for instant messaging and voice and video calls. Recently, WhatsApp announced that it is testing a new feature that will allow users to use the messaging application on their Wear OS devices, such as smartwatches. While this feature may have some advantages, there are also potential disadvantages associated with it.
It was recently revealed that Meta, the owner of WhatsApp, is considering pulling the popular private messaging app from the UK over an ongoing row regarding the contentious proposed Online Safety Bill, ministers have been warned.
Children’s charities and the UK Home Office have in the last few years raised concerns that tech giants need to take responsibility for detecting child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and terrorism content in social media networks.
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But Baroness Claire Fox told the House of Lords last week that the online safety bill legislation was putting “enormous pressure” on tech giants and that they could just decide to quit the UK and focus on other markets.
“These services, such as WhatsApp, will potentially leave the UK. This is not like threatening to storm off,” she said.
“We must remember that they are global platforms. They have a system that works for billions of people all around the world. A relatively small market such as the UK is not something for which they would compromise their billions of users around the world.”
The tech industry says protecting users’ privacy is key and that firms shouldn’t be able to scan private messages sent by the public. They want a cybersecurity technology called end-to-end encryption to be built into their messaging apps, which prevents anyone outside of the parties receiving messages from viewing them.
Tech giants argue that end-to-end encryption is crucial to fighting online scams, fraud and data breaches.
Some governments and children’s charities claim that paedophiles are using private messaging apps to groom children and share illegal content, completely unnoticed by the service providers. They also say the likes of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Twitter and Tiktok either need to scan photos and messages and inform the police, or build technology for this.
Tech giants say that asking them to break end-to-end encryption would be akin to allowing government mass surveillance of the general public, which would be in breach of our human rights.
One of the primary benefits of having WhatsApp available on Wear OS devices is convenience. Users can quickly access and reply to messages without needing to pull out their phones. This can be particularly useful when users are in meetings, driving, or exercising, and want to keep their phones tucked away. Additionally, Wear OS devices are typically more lightweight and compact than smartphones, making them easier to carry around.
Another advantage of WhatsApp on Wear OS is that it can improve productivity. Users can receive and respond to messages in real-time, which can save time compared to constantly checking their phones for notifications. This can be particularly useful for people who need to be responsive to messages in a timely manner, such as business professionals.
However, there are also potential downsides to having WhatsApp on Wear OS devices. One major disadvantage is that the smaller screen size on smartwatches can make it challenging to read and respond to messages. This could result in typos, incorrect
A list of recent conversations will pop up, along with “Settings” and “Open on phone.” Clicking any of the conversations will bring up individual or group chats, showing messages, images sent, etc. At the bottom of each chat, you can choose to send a voice or text message, using the system keyboard for the latter. Similarly, you can view or listen to any existing or received messages.
WhatsApp offers a circular complication that shows unread messages on your watch’s home page. There are also two tiles for contacts and voice messages, to let you quickly access people or start a voice message recording.
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