WhatsApp to undergo major changes

WhatsApp is making some major changes, Express reports. The cross-platform messenger service, which boasts almost one billion active users, looks set to share your data with Facebook.

Developer Javier Santos unearthed the new option in the latest WhatsApp beta for Android. He quickly posted screenshots to his Google+ page.
“Share my WhatsApp account information with Facebook to improve my Facebook experiences,” the new WhatsApp feature reads.
It’s unclear exactly what information will be exchanged between the two services, but the Contact List seems an obvious starting point.
That means you’re likely to see a few of your WhatsApp contacts populating your suggested Friends on Facebook.
Whether the content of your WhatsApp conversations will be used to suggest relevant Facebook Groups, or Celebrity Pages remains to be seen.
Fortunately, the latest beta also includes a new end-to-end encryption option, which the messenger promises will make your messages and media even more secure.
Finally, a new Documents section has been added to the app. This aggregates all the files you receive from your WhatsApp contacts.
These features are in testing at the moment, and might not make an appearance in the final WhatsApp update. The news comes days after WhatsApp announced it had dropped its annual subscription fee.
Founder Mr.Koum said the subscription model “really doesn’t work for some people” and that other cross-platform messaging apps, like Facebook Messenger, are completely free to use.
WhatsApp plans to replace the charges by connecting companies directly with users via the app.
Mr Koum admitted they have not settled on a final plan yet, but as it stands, it appears WhatsApp will charge multi-national companies to conduct customer service chats and calls via WhatsApp.
For example, an airline could use the app to contact customers about a flight cancelation or upcoming delays.
WhatsApp says despite the changes, its goal remains to avoid spam and unwanted advertising within the hugely-successful app.
Facebook, which acquired WhatsApp for an eye-watering $19 billion in 2014, is already testing out the feature in its own Facebook Messenger app.
Select US companies have been given the opportunity to pay for the ability to message their customers directly via the app.