Facebook forces new feature on WhatsApp users

The days when you pretended that you may not have read an otherwise unwanted WhatsApp message is over.

In a new interesting feature that has been forcefully pushed on all users, a blue tick mark now clearly notifies that you have read the message.

Until yesterday, users only received a double tick when a message was delivered to a recipient. There was no way for you to know if the message was read or remained unread.

However the ‘last seen’ feature which indicated when the other party was last seen on WhatsApp, could still give an indication if the person could have seen the message or not. Yet there was no definite confirmation.

With the introduction of the blue double tick, that confusion will be put to rest once and for all.

The introduction has resulted in mixed reaction from WhatsApp users. Many took to other social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter to express their reactions. While some welcomed the move, others were furious as it means another level of forced entry into their privacy.

One user commented, “Blue 'message read' ticks on WhatsApp? I'm still going to read and not reply.”

The feature is nothing new though. Those using Line and BBM already have this feature available. On BBM a blue light indicates that the message is delivered and turns green when the message is read.

BlackBerry also recently introduced a new update that introduces Snapchat like features into BBM. Users can now send timed messages – indicating how long it will remain on the recipient’s handset. You can set the time between 1 and 25 seconds. Another new BBM feature also lets you recall a message.

BlackBerry has been trying its best to reclaim the lost user base ever since it rolled out the BBM messenger to Android and iOS users.

WhatsApp’s user base has seen a significant increase during the last two years emerging as the number one chat application in terms of active users.

Globally, WhatsApp is said to have an active user base of over 600 million. It recently announced that it has crossed the 70 million active users mark in India.
 

 

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