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and WhatsApp

by concerndc1tizen 2y ago

and WhatsApp

oblio 2y ago
If anything, WhatsApp is probably bigger than Instagram around the world.
- lxgr 2y ago
  It's also got an infinitely better reputation since it's arguably not social media, but just a solid instant messenger. I was personally very concerned when they acquired it, but went from a begrudging user (it was the de facto standard in the country I was living in at the time) to an excited one (Facebook/Meta added end-to-end encryption, multi-device capability, device migration etc.)
  - concerndc1tizen 2y ago
    If it's E2EE, can you explain how a new device is able to read the messages after logging in? In other words: Facebook has a copy of the decryption key.
    - lxgr 2y ago
      What do you mean by “read the messages”? WhatsApp doesn’t have a server-side message archive. If you mean messages pending delivery: A newly logged in device can request the sender to resend pending messages under its new key.
  - signal11 2y ago
    > infinitely better reputation You’ve clearly not seen it enshittify: * More UI space devoted to brands (the Updates tab * Communities UX is, uh, suboptimal * Brands / business accounts can message you with no opt out, you can block a chat after the fact but won’t stop them from messaging you from another account. These made the news in WhatsApp’s favourite testbed market[1], but if you think it’s not coming to other markets… Anyhow, tl;dr — WhatsApp’s no longer in the “put users first” phase, it’s in the “monetize” phase of Facebook Product Management. As a person who paid for WhatsApp pre-Facebook, that does make me sad. [1] https://techcrunch.com/2022/10/10/in-india-businesses-are-increasingly-spamming-users-on-whatsapp/ https://techcrunch.com/2022/10/10/in-india-businesses-are-in...
    - lxgr 2y ago
      I use it many times per day as my primary means of communication outside work, and while it’s not perfect, I prefer it over all the alternatives. But yeah, it’s “done” in many ways, and idle product managers and business developers are rarely a good thing for a product.

and WhatsApp

oblio 2y ago

If anything, WhatsApp is probably bigger than Instagram around the world.

lxgr 2y ago
It's also got an infinitely better reputation since it's arguably not social media, but just a solid instant messenger. I was personally very concerned when they acquired it, but went from a begrudging user (it was the de facto standard in the country I was living in at the time) to an excited one (Facebook/Meta added end-to-end encryption, multi-device capability, device migration etc.)
- concerndc1tizen 2y ago
  If it's E2EE, can you explain how a new device is able to read the messages after logging in? In other words: Facebook has a copy of the decryption key.
  - lxgr 2y ago
    What do you mean by “read the messages”? WhatsApp doesn’t have a server-side message archive. If you mean messages pending delivery: A newly logged in device can request the sender to resend pending messages under its new key.
- signal11 2y ago
  > infinitely better reputation You’ve clearly not seen it enshittify: * More UI space devoted to brands (the Updates tab * Communities UX is, uh, suboptimal * Brands / business accounts can message you with no opt out, you can block a chat after the fact but won’t stop them from messaging you from another account. These made the news in WhatsApp’s favourite testbed market[1], but if you think it’s not coming to other markets… Anyhow, tl;dr — WhatsApp’s no longer in the “put users first” phase, it’s in the “monetize” phase of Facebook Product Management. As a person who paid for WhatsApp pre-Facebook, that does make me sad. [1] https://techcrunch.com/2022/10/10/in-india-businesses-are-increasingly-spamming-users-on-whatsapp/ https://techcrunch.com/2022/10/10/in-india-businesses-are-in...
  - lxgr 2y ago
    I use it many times per day as my primary means of communication outside work, and while it’s not perfect, I prefer it over all the alternatives. But yeah, it’s “done” in many ways, and idle product managers and business developers are rarely a good thing for a product.