14 DAY TRIAL // Instant messaging service WhatsApp has received a much-needed software update that gives the IM client support for iPhone 6 handsets. The GUI has shrunk down considerably, and the keyboard no longer takes up half of the display.
WhatsApp has always been late to incorporate the latest Apple specifications, and this year was no different. Two months after Apple had unveiled its big-screen iPhones, the service still didn’t support the new resolutions natively. Fortunately, all that is changed now thanks to the new WhatsApp 2.11.14.
A world of difference
You’d think that a simple GUI rescaling wouldn’t deserve its own news story, but it does. WhatsApp is used by hundreds of millions worldwide. A good chunk of that install base is using the client on an iOS device, and a good chunk of those people are wielding the new iPhone 6 / iPhone 6 Plus.
Until now, WhatsApp displayed unusually big, especially on the iPhone 6 Plus. In landscape mode, the app was virtually unusable. But thanks to the 2.11.14 update, the layout finally matches the bigger display of the Plus, allowing for more chat bubbles on the screen, while the keyboard fits naturally taking up just one third of the display area.
In addition to offering support for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, the new WhatsApp 2.11.14 fixes “bugs and crashes,” according to the release notes. No specifics are given, so hopefully anything that’s been bothering you so far in WhatsApp has now been addressed.
Pricing, language support, compatibility
The IM client’s official description still states that the service is free only for the first year, and when the customer reaches that limit, he / she will have to pay $0.99 / €0.89 annually to continue to use the service.
“WhatsApp Messenger is a smartphone messenger available for iPhone and other smartphones. WhatsApp uses your 3G or WiFi (when available) to message with friends and family. Switch from SMS to WhatsApp to send and receive messages, pictures, audio notes, and video messages. First year FREE! ($0.99 USD/year after),” reads the description.
It isn’t clear if, after the Facebook acquisition, WhatsApp management still plans on using this business model.
The chatting app is supported in English, Arabic, Bokmål, Norwegian, Catalan, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Slovak, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Traditional Chinese, Turkish, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese.
To download WhatsApp on any iPhone, the minimum requirement is said to be iOS 4.3, according to the App Store listing.
