New WhatsApp feature won’t be allowed on iPhones or iPads - only Android phones

WhatsApp’s upcoming ‘Flash Calls’ feature won’t work with Apple’s API

Facebook, Instagram y WhatsApp cayeron el viernes 19 de marzo de 2021 (Getty Images)

WhatsApp users with iPhones will miss out on a new feature coming only to Android devices.

The Facebook-owned messaging service is working on a new tool called Flash Calls in its beta testing, which would make it easier to log into WhatsApp.

Currently users must input a six-digit text message code to verify their account, but now WhatsApp will call the mobile number of the device before automatically hanging up – verifying that the last phone number in the device’s log is the same as the number that provides the six-digit code.

This could prove a useful feature when WhatsApp adds multi-device login to its app, which could allow for a single account to be used between Android phones and tablets, or iPhones and iPads.

Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg and WhatsApp head Will Cathcart recently announced the feature in an interview, as well as messages that can only be seen once and will disappear after set time limit.

Unfortunately for Apple users, however, Flash Calls will not work on the Cupertino company’s devices. Apple does not offer any public API to read call history per their privacy policy, which is unlikely to change. As such, iPhone and iPad users will have to keep using the old method of account verification.

These new features are designed to make WhatsApp more competitive with other apps like Snapchat and Telegram, with latter seeing a huge rise in users following Facebook’s terms and conditions update for its messaging platform.

WhatsApp had previously said it would slowly kill its messaging app for users who do not accept its updated terms and conditions before 15 May, but has now confirmed that will not happen.

“Given recent discussions with various authorities and privacy experts, we want to make clear that we currently have no plans to limit the functionality of how WhatsApp works for those who have not yet accepted the update”, a WhatsApp spokesperson said.

“Instead, we will continue to remind users from time to time about the update as well as when people choose to use relevant optional features, like communicating with a business that is receiving support from Facebook.”