Social media giants, WhatsApp might soon introduce a feature which will allow its users to integrate the app with their Facebook accounts.
Although it remains to be seen how exactly this will benefit users, the integration is expected to “improve Facebook experiences.”
The version 2.12.413 of WhatsApp for Android reveals the company’s intention to allow users to link the messaging service with their respective Facebook accounts, as shown by Android developer Javier Santos.
The feature, as shared in the screenshot by the programmer, appears on the Account settings of the app. It asks users whether they want to share their WhatsApp account information with Facebook. The integration appears to be an optional choice.
The version also has a “hidden” security settings page which gives users another option to enable an additional indicator which would inform them whether their chats and calls are encrypted or not. Users however need to run a bunch of commands and have a rooted Android device to enable the feature.
WhatsApp had in 2014 partnered with Open Whisper Systems, a non-profit software group to scramble messages with a cryptographic key to bolster privacy. In the same year, Open Whisper Systems noted that the end-to-end encryption had been implemented on WhatsApp’s Android client, but hasn’t been implemented correctly. This had made digital rights group Electronic Frontier Foundation to give WhatsApp a score of two out of seven when tested for privacy sophistication.
The inclusion of an additional indicator is expected to improve WhatsApp’s image with privacy activists and enthusiasts who largely prefer to use Telegram and Secure. However, these set of people might not like the idea of sharing their information with Facebook.
Facebook had acquired WhatsApp in a multi-billion deal in 2014. Ever since then, an integration of WhatsApp and Facebook’s marquee services Facebook and Messenger had been expected to be introduced. However such integration hasn’t been seen yet.