Kiran Upadhyay

Quite a few reports circling the web this week appear to indicate a tightening of WhatsApp’s policy toward the usage of third-party WhatsApp client applications. That is, word has it that those using an unofficial app will be banned from WhatsApp for life. However, that’s not exactly the case, WhatsApp explains. In fact, there’s been no larger policy shift since we last reported on the now Facebook-owned company’s crackdown on third-party app usage earlier this year. As you may recall, in January, WhatsApp began banning users from its service when they were found to be using a third-party (unofficial) WhatsApp mobile application. In order to be allowed back into WhatsApp, users were asked to uninstall the offending app from their phone, then download the authorized version of WhatsApp from the app store instead. The company also explained the policy via an FAQ on its website. At the time, one popular app maker even reported receiving a cease-and-desist from WhatsApp related to h...

Are you one of the 600 million people on WhatsApp? Do you grow tired of having to type all of your messages through your phone? Good news! There’s now a desktop version. It’s a web app rather than a native client — and for now, at least, it seems to only play friendly with Google Chrome. But if you’re ready to dive in, you can find the new web-ready version of WhatsApp right over here… One weird catch: to log in on the desktop, you have to take a picture of a QR code through WhatsApp on your phone. This is necessary, presumably, because WhatsApp uses your phone number and SMS verifications rather than usernames/passwords. This currently works on Android, Windows Phone, and BlackBerry… but “due to Apple platform limitations” (WhatsApp’s words, there — we’re not sure what limitations they mean), iOS users are left out in the cold. On the platforms where it works, however, it’s very slick. Curiously, it seems as if it’s using your phone for more than just the initial login; ...

Facebook disclosed financials of its $22 billion acquisition of WhatsApp for the first time today, and it looks like the 600 million user messaging app’s revenue is still small. In the six months ending June 30, 2014, WhatsApp brought in $15.921 million in revenue, but had a net loss of $232.5 million. However, $206.5 million of that loss was for share-based compensation expenses and issuance of common stock below fair value. Its net cash used in operating expenses during the first half of 2014 was $13.5 million, which sounds much more reasonable. Essentially, due to WhatsApp’s quickly rising valuation, it used share-based compensation to attract top talent. Eventually, the $22 billion acquisition by Facebook would largely make the “expenses” of issuing that stock moot. This wasn’t cash that WhatsApp was burning, but paper money it was doling out. For the year ending December 31, 2013, WhatsApp had $10.2 million in revenue and a net loss of $138.146 million. Net cash used in ope...