WhatsApp Web will be able to be launched with the cell phone number instead of the QR code
Users will be required to enter an eight-digit security code to authenticate their identity
A new WhatsApp feature will allow users to link their cell phones to the web version of the app using a new method that involves using their phone numbers instead of resorting solely to scanning a QR code as is currently done.
The feature that is being rolled out progressively for users of the platform adds an option at the bottom of the device linking screen. “Link to a phone number” is the name of the new option that will be available. This will allow entering the country code followed by the user’s cell phone to access account messages from a computer.
While this could be considered as a harmful option as anyone could use a random number to link to a computer, WhatsApp added a complementary security measure that consists of sending an authentication code of the user’s identity. This way, only the real owner of the account will be able to access messages.
This eight-digit code, which will only be generated once, will be displayed on the computer screen and must be entered in a special field in the cell phone application. If the code is correct, the user will be automatically directed to the main WhatsApp Web screen and messages will be automatically synchronized as they are in the current version of the feature.
The alternative method of linking two devices will allow users whose cell phone does not have a working or malfunctioning front-facing camera to access the WhatsApp Web platform. At the moment it is not available for linking other alternative devices (such as a tablet) as the Companion Mode feature has not yet been included for this new form of synchronization.
At the moment the phone number linking feature is not available for all users. Being a feature in early access test mode, only those users who have the beta version of the app can access it. However, it is expected that this feature will allow gradual access to more users and its global launch will occur in the coming months.
Editing messages in WhatsApp
One of the functions that did launch globally for all cell phones is the editing of messages so that you do not have to delete the content of each text to rewrite it.
“We are pleased to offer more control over chats, as it will now be possible to correct simple misspellings to adding additional context to a message,” WhatsApp posted on its official website.
Users will have to keep the message selected and select the Edit option from the menu. When editing is complete, texts will be labeled “Edited” at the bottom, so each person will be informed that a correction has been made but will not have access to a history of modifications.
Users will not be able to see when the modification was made and this feature was only enabled for messages containing text and emojis. Descriptions of sent files, as well as photos and videos, will not be able to be changed.
Like texts sent in the first place, photos, videos, voice memos and files, the new versions of messages will also be protected by end-to-end encryption, so no one other than the sender and receiver of the text will be able to see it.