WhatsApp: Your Account Might Be Banned Soon, Here's Why
WhatsApp has decided to strengthen its policy against cloned apps of the popular instant messaging service. Since they violate the terms of use and do not provide adequate security, WhatsApp is now authorized to ban all users who use these unofficial apps.
WhatsApp announced on its official blog that it has entered the war against cloned applications. These alternatives to WhatsApp, such as GB WhatsApp or WhatsApp plus, offer in particular additional functions that are not present in the "real" application. They make it possible, for example, to automatically reply to a message, exceed the 250-word bar in bulk messages, send more photos or hide receipt acknowledgements. Also note that some of them turn out to be scams or contain malware, such as WhatsApp Pink.
Created by anonymous developers and only available for download outside the Google Play Store, these unofficial apps aim to be extremely popular and gather millions of users around the world. Only in WhatsApp’s eyes, third-party apps violate its terms of use. In one of its help pages, the Meta group’s main app teams explained their position on the matter.
WHATSAPP NO LONGER WANTS TO SEE CLONE APPS
“Unsupported apps, such as WhatsApp Plus, GB WhatsApp, or other apps that claim to transfer your WhatsApp chats between your phones, are modified versions of WhatsApp. These unofficial apps are developed by third parties and violate our Terms of Use. WhatsApp does not support third-party apps because we cannot verify their security practices,” they assert.
In fact, users who use these clones will now be able to see access to their accounts “Temporarily blocked”. To lift this restriction, you will have to log back into the official version of WhatsApp. However, if you continue using these third-party apps, you may be permanently blocked:
The instant messaging app warns, “If you do not switch to the official app after being temporarily banned, your account may be permanently banned and you will no longer be able to use WhatsApp.” If you are a WhatsApp Plus or GB WhatsApp user, the company has just shared the procedure to save chats and move them to the official app.
HOW TO SAVE YOUR WHATSAPP CONVERSATIONS
From GB WHATSAPP
Go to More Options > Discussions > Chat Backup
Then go to your smartphone settings, then Storage > Files.
Get GB WhatsApp folder and rename it WhatsApp
Download the official WhatsApp app from Google Play Store if necessary.
Connect and restore backup from your device's internal memory
FROM WHATSAPP PLUS
Go to settings and make sure chat backup is enabled.
Download the official WhatsApp app from Google Play Store if necessary.
Contact WhatsApp: All old chats should be there