WhatsApp incoming updates
#10 August
WhatsApp has now explained what this all means for you. The key thing, from where we stand, is that from now on WhatsApp will straight up share your data with Zuckerberg and Co.
The firm then goes on a lot about privacy and all that jazz, which we might have expected.
Today, we're updating WhatsApp's terms and privacy policy for the first time in four years as part of our plans to test ways for people to communicate with businesses in the months ahead, the company said in a blog post.
The updated documents also reflect that we've joined Facebook and that we've recently rolled out many new features, like end-to-end encryption, WhatsApp Calling and messaging tools like WhatsApp for web and desktop.
People use our app every day to keep in touch with the friends and loved ones who matter to them, and this isn't changing. But as we announced earlier this year, we want to explore ways for you to communicate with businesses that matter to you too, while still giving you an experience without third-party banner ads and spam.
End-to-end encryption is the next thing that caught our attention, but WhatsApp then pulled us back into Facebook talk about how the firm merges two accounts that people might use for two different things.
When you and the people you message are using the latest version of WhatsApp, your messages are encrypted by default, which means you're the only people who can read them, the post continued.
Even as we coordinate more with Facebook in the months ahead, your encrypted messages stay private and no-one else can read them. Not WhatsApp, not Facebook, not anyone else.
"We won't post or share your WhatsApp number with others, including on Facebook, and we still won't sell, share or give your phone number to advertisers.
"But by coordinating more with Facebook, we'll be able to do things like track basic metrics about how often people use our services and better fight spam on WhatsApp.
"And by connecting your phone number with Facebook's systems, Facebook can offer better friend suggestions and show you more relevant ads if you have an account with them. For example, you might see an ad from a company you already work with, rather than one from someone you've never heard of."
Chat API Team
mgp25
#10 August
Hello there,
It has been a long time since I started working on this project. I learned a lot and met great people.
At no time comes to think that people could use this API for commercial purposes, since my goal was to build an API for other uses as: personal bot assistant, remote control for domestic stuff (cool things in general).
And although sporadically I will continue with the development of the API in a personal and private way, I will no longer update the API or give more support of it in Github, at least for now. Im looking for other projects to learn new things.
Regards
mgp25
#5 April, 2016
As i told in the previously update, WhatsApp introduced a new authentication system, using Noise protocol instead of RC4.
Within the next few days, WhatsApp will be forcing all clients to use encrypted messages/media, this means no plaintext message will be accepted at all.
You can see in the following link that WhatsApp has updated the security as im telling you here: https://www.whatsapp.com/security/
All users starting today, will receive this notification in their chats:
Also you will be able to verify the identity:
Additionally, WhatsApp users can opt in to a preference which notifies them every time the security code for a contact changes. For more information, see the technical document WhatsApp has published here.
All type of media, messages... is now encrypted and it will be forced.
Eventually all the pre-e2e capable clients will expire, at which point new versions of the software will no longer transmit or accept plaintext messages at all.
Happy Tuesday
mgp25
Chat API Team
#26 March, 2016
Some time ago WhatsApp moved to protocol WA 2.0, which basically includes some security improvements. RC4 is no longer used and instead Noise Protocol - AES GCM is being used. This is a great feature.
There are other features, like document support.
The release with WA 2.0 support is ready, but i won't release it until i fix some issues and make a couple of improvements. No ETA, so don't ask for it.
mgp25
Chat API Team
#15 January, 2015
Dear users,
im starting to get tired of answering duplicated issues, basic stuff about programming, or not related issues. So im going to be very sincere, if you don't read the wiki, search in google or read the closed issues, i'll lock directly the issue and block the user since it's just wasting our time.
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So please, read the wiki: https://github.com/WHAnonymous/Chat-API/wiki
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Read the closed issues: https://github.com/WHAnonymous/Chat-API/issues?q=is%3Aissue+is%3Aclosed
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Use the search tab at the top of github's page.
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Quote things properly: https://github.com/WHAnonymous/Chat-API/wiki/How-to-write-correctly-in-Github
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Commercial use of this API is totally NOT ALLOWED
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Use google for any programming question
mgp25
Chat API Team
#2 December, 2015
Hello users, WhatsApp has pushed WA 1.6 (new protocol), this also means new features like document sending (.doc, .pdf, .csv...).
We are already working on it, no ETA. It will be updated as soon as we have it working.
P.S: WhatsApp, don't be mad at Telegram just because it's better than you. Grow up and accept it.
P.P.S: Thanks :-p
mgp25
Chat API Team
#21 October, 2015
Chat API supports now end to end encryption.
Happy week to everyone.
Regards,
mgp25
#9 September, 2015
<notification from="********@s.whatsapp.net" id="1299661170" offline="2" t="1441753685" type="features">
<feature>
<encrypt_group_gen2 value="allow" />
</feature>
</notification>
<notification from="*********@s.whatsapp.net" id="1299661170" offline="2" t="1441753407" type="features">
<feature>
<encrypt_v2 value="allow" />
</feature>
</notification><boolean name="e2e_groups" value="true" />#31 August, 2015
WhatsApp has added Axolotl encryption in WhatsApp for iOS.
You can see in the server properties that is already enabled, WhatsApp is also planning to encrypt group conversations and images as you can see e2e_groups and e2e_images:
And finally the Axolotl.sqlite file:
WhatsApp Web is now available for iPhone users too. If you don't see this feature in your device, uninstall and install the app again, and you are ready to use WhatsApp Web with your iPhone.
I have done a PHP API for Telegram Bots, its fully functional and there is a wiki already, feel free to try it 😄
https://github.com/mgp25/Telegram-Bot-API
Yesterday i received a mail from WhatsApp/Facebook lawyers, don't worry i'll keep this repository up and updated! Here is the letter if anyone is interested:
Subject: WhatsApp's Cease and Desist and Demand Against Chat-API
CC: [email protected]
Dear WHAnonymous,
Attached is a letter requiring a prompt response. We look forward to hearing from you shortly.
Regards,
Reade Bramer
Reade A. Bramer
Associate
Shook, Hardy & Bacon L.L.P.
[email protected]
http://www.shb.com/
Here is the Attached letter: http://www.docdroid.net/gWpFsXz/whatsapps-cease-and-desist-and-demand-against-chat-api.pdf.html
2.12.2 • Bug fixes.
2.12.1 • WhatsApp Calling: Call your friends and family using WhatsApp for free, even if they’re in another country. WhatsApp calls use your phone’s Internet connection rather than your cellular plan’s voice minutes. Data charges may apply. Note: WhatsApp Calling is rolling out slowly over the next several weeks.
• iOS 8 share extension: Share photos, videos, and links right to WhatsApp from other apps.
• Quick camera button in chats: Now you can capture photos and videos, or quickly choose a recent camera roll photo or video.
• Edit your contacts right from WhatsApp.
• Send multiple videos at once and crop and rotate videos before sending them.
WhatsApp Calling: Call your friends and family using WhatsApp for free, even if they’re in another country. WhatsApp calls use your phone’s Internet connection rather than your cellular plan’s voice minutes. Data charges may apply.
WhatsApp introduces and starts rolling out the voip feature we already knew since older versions. Its like an invite thing, where a person with the call feature needs to "call" another person who wants to start using the feature.
You need to get the apk from the website and not from the PlayStore: www.whatsapp.com/android/current/WhatsApp.apk
Images: https://imgur.com/a/Qsfz4
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5-UfVwoKf8
Regards,
The WhatsAPI Official Team
After one year doing it, WhatsApp have opened WhatsApp Web today. For now its only available for: BlackBerry, Android, Windows Phone and Nokia S60.
You only need to scan the QR code from the inside QR scanner in WhatsApp and you will be able to usa WhatsApp in your web browser. Due libaxolotl all messages are sent through the device, so all you send via browser its synced with your device.
For now its only accessible from Chrome: https://web.whatsapp.com
We hope to have this feature ready soon.
Regards,
The WhatsAPI Official Team
Happy new year! We are working hard bringing here libaxolotl-php to decrypt and encrypt messages throught WhatsAPI. If you have java and php knowledge and want to collaborate, contact with me.
Regards.
It really has been a long time since we went to work on WhatsApp encryption, but we have finally did it! and it will be soon on the API, first it will appear in python API (yowsup) and later here in PHP.
The solution was to port the library.
I just wanted to give this good news and wish you a merry christmas.
Regards,
The WhatsAPI Official Team
It seems WhatsApp has done something wrong in their server and all the the features like the read receipt and the message encryption are not working.
You will see that the blue ticks (read receipts) are not showing, and when receiving messages from Android users, you will receive also the body tag and the message in plain text.
Not only the API but the client has the same issue too, because it's a server property. When requesting properties to server, it crashes, and login again without requesting them:
Note: The users who haven't reinstalled WhatsApp now or installed for the first time, it won't affect this issue, as they have the properties already saved in their devices.
<iq id="***" xmlns="w" type="get" to="s.whatsapp.net">
<props>
</props>
</iq>That's because the WhatsApp client is not using these features, as it's a server side error, when they fix this issue, it will work again. In the meantime, WhatsAPI Official, Yowsup, ... users should avoid using sendGetServerProperties() as it will cause a Connection closed!
UPDATE: Now its fixed. You can use sendGetServerProperties() again. Also we have noticed this new prop:
<prop name="plaintext_reenable_threshold" value="5"></prop>As always we will update you before everyone knows.
Regards,
The WhatsAPI Official Team
Now the admin of a group can promote another participant and it could be more than one admin. Also there is a way to demote a pariticpant using the API, not implemented in WhatsApp client yet.
Also we can see now the chatstate (composing...) in a group.
Is not as easy to implement the 'encrypt' feature as i thought. WhatsApp has done a nice work this time (at least for now). We are working hard on this, and it will take time to us to implement this feature.
WhatsApp is using axolotl from WhisperSystems, you can check here.
We know more or less how it works, but as i said, this will take time for us. So be patient. We'll update you as we continue on this.
Regards,
The WhatsAPI Official Team
WhatsApp is using Symmetric-key algorithm to encrypt text messages and media, they called it pkmsg. Now we receive messages like this:
<message to="***********@s.whatsapp.net" type="text" id="*********">
<body>
H
</body>
<enc v="1" type="pkmsg" av="Android/2.11.424">
��!��}D29��a�|�@Z$א��sI_���Q?{!qAm��<O��=7ė??�.�@�Zx���v�2"B3
!��j�1���O�3��l,x���y�N��l�_????"�&̂ 0Χ�F����lh��(��Ж0??
</enc>
</message>As you can see above, the message it's in plain and cipher it, but i think in near future, the message will be sent/received ciphered only.
How to get the shared key?
<iq id="*********" xmlns="encrypt" type="get" to="s.whatsapp.net">
<key>
<user jid="***********@s.whatsapp.net">
</user>
</key>
</iq>I hope this week i can implement this privacy feature. Still many things to be done!
In next releases, WhatsApp lets the user choose if we want the 'read' receipt, it will be a toggle to active/deactive that option. WhatsApp will introduce to client, what they have called 'groups_v2', that features are already implemented in the API, like:
sendPromoteParticipants
sendDemoteParticipants
sendLockGroup
sendUnlockGroup
WhatsApp clients are already using encryption to send text messages, that's a good feature, although im still researching about that, i managed to get that working with the API, im not going to release it until i get ideas clearer.
Regards.
WhatsApp has enabled a new way of the receipts (checks):
- Sent but not received by the user
- Message received by the user
- The user has read your message
Time check
I personally don't like this feature, it's about privacy 😕
- Incoming
<receipt from="96170******@s.whatsapp.net" id="1415160587-220" type="read" t="1415221936">
</receipt>- Outgoing
<receipt to="96170******@s.whatsapp.net" id="1415217728-545" type="read">
</receipt>Web
At this moment, we can say WhatsApp is preparing a web client, as far as i know, you will login with your WhatsApp acount through the web client using OAuth, so the web client will send a request to your mobile client, if you accept this it will login in the web client. All the data sent via web is synced with your mobile device and it also sends data like: battery, if device is plugged...
This should be the website: https://web.whatsapp.com
Encryption
WhatsApp is starting to encrypt text and media messages in the newer versions. Right now, the text or media is being sent ciphered and in plain so the older clients still receive the messages. We'll try to implement this as soon as possible, we are working hard :)
Regards.
The WhatsAPI Official Team
Hey there! @SikiFn, @CODeRUS and i (@mgp25) found a new feature. It seems WhatsApp is preparing a web platform or similar. At this moment there aren't many functions but we can assure this functions are web related.
Things like:
sendWebDisconnect()
this.web_event_handler
"xmlns":"w:web"
We'll keep you informed as we discover more information.
Redards.
WhatsAPI Official team