WhatsApp Message Forwarding Restrictions Rolled Out for iPhone Users With New Update

Facebook-owned WhatsApp has rolled the latest software update on iPhone that restricts forwarding capabilities to just 5 chats in one go. This development was first announced by the popular messaging platform back in July 2018, following reports of fake news causing communal tension in certain parts of India. The update, with version 2.18.81, also removes the quick forwarding shortcut that previously appeared besides media messages on iPhone. These changes come as part of WhatsApp's aim to maintain the image of a 'private messaging app' rather than one infamous for the spreading of fake news.

These features are now available on the stable version of WhatsApp for iOS after days of testing. Users can update WhatsApp from the Apple App Store. Gadgets 360 has been able to independently verify both the changes. The changes were first spotted by WABetaInfo, and are visible in the app, but not listed in the App Store's changelog. The beta watcher also claims the update brings bug fixes.

To recall, the development in July came after reports of fake news on the messaging platform. WhatsApp had said that use of the app in such a way violates its terms of service and that it would actively work on preventing such actions.

In yet another bid to take on the issue of fake news on its platform, WhatsApp had last month rolled out the 'Suspicious Link Indicator' feature that locally detects suspicious links and notifies the recipient before they are opened. Another disclaimer pops up even after the user clicks on such links.

Earlier this month, WhatsApp's latest major feature, group video and voice calling had rolled out widely to all Android and iPhone users globally. While video and voice calling have been a feature on WhatsApp since 2016, the number of participants had previously been limited to two. There is a limit of up to 4 participants in one call.

Separately, last week, a report had suggested that WhatsApp might be working on a new picture-in-picture video feature for Android. This development comes months after WhatsApp for iOS had received the feature back in January this year.

Will Jio Phone 2 help WhatsApp, YouTube reach the next billion users in India? We discussed that on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.