Facebook owned instant messaging app WhatsApp has started rolling out a new feature in India called Frequently Forwarded messages. The new feature has been launched both for Android and iOS that allows the users to be acquainted with if the message they have received has been forwarded more than five times. Additionally, WhatsApp has also shortened the longer forwarded messages and to read the full message the users have to tap on the message. The new feature is available for all the consumers who are using the latest version of the messaging app.
The objective behind the rollout of the Frequently Forwarded feature is an endeavor by the company to hold back the spreading of false news on its messaging app. In its frequently asked questions WhatsApp explained, “To maintain the privacy and intimacy within WhatsApp, we limit how you can forward a message. When you forward a message, you can choose to share with up to five chats at one time. When a message is forwarded from one user to another user more than five times, this is indicated with a double arrow icon. The number of times a message has been forwarded is end-to-end encrypted.”
This new feature is in addition to WhatsApp’s forwarded label intended for messages that were introduced last year. The new Frequently Forwarded feature was spotted on the beta version in March this year.
Introducing the new feature WhatsApp’s spokesperson said, “We have recently introduced an update to our forwarded message label that helps people identify when they have received messages that were previously forwarded several times, such as a chain message. These highly forwarded messages will be marked with a double arrow icon and users will receive a notification when they are forwarding such a message,”
To recall, the Facebook-owned WhatsApp is also planning to introduce its own payment service called WhatsApp Pay in the country. WhatsApp’s Global Head Will Cathcart confirmed that the company is determined to roll-out the payment service in India by the end of this year. The company will also act in accordance with the Indian regulations that also include data storage standards and will adhere to local data storing policies.
Mark Zuckerberg said “We’re also working beyond India in a number of other countries and hope to have this rolled out to a large percent of the people who use WhatsApp within the next year,”
In addition to this, the Supreme Court of India has inquired with the Reserve Bank of India to proveWhatsApp’s agreement with local data set of laws for its payments service is in tandem with the countries regulations. The Court has also ordered to report back within six weeks.
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