14 DAY TRIAL // WhatsApp has updated the desktop app and one of the changes is the recently-introduced limitation that prevents users from forwarding messages to more than 20 people.
Seen as a method to spam users on WhatsApp, the forwarding feature has been tweaked recently in order to prevent the same message from being sent to more than 20 contacts.
The new restriction was first released to iOS and Android clients, and starting with version 0.3.225 released earlier this month, it also exists in the desktop WhatsApp client.
Message forwarding limitations were announced by WhatsApp in July and were first rolled out as a test, though there’s little chance they would be pulled at some point in the future.
“We're launching a test to limit forwarding that will apply to everyone using WhatsApp. In India - where people forward more messages, photos, and videos than any other country in the world - we'll also test a lower limit of 5 chats at once and we'll remove the quick forward button next to media messages,” WhatsApp said last month.
Controversial changes
WhatsApp continues to evolve, though some of the most recent changes have been controversial, to say the least.
For example, parent company Facebook has decided to bring ads to the Status screen in an attempt to monetize WhatsApp usage, explaining that such tweaks are actually supposed to help businesses reach a growing audience within the app.
“With this approach, you will continue to have full control over the messages you receive. Businesses will pay to send certain messages so they are selective and your chats don't get cluttered. In addition, messages will remain end-to-end encrypted and you can block any business with the tap of a button,” WhatsApp said.
Needless to say, this announcement was received with mixed reactions by the community, and many warned that should WhatsApp indeed introduce ads, they would switch to any possible alternatives, including Telegram.