On this side of the globe, chances are you’re a WhatsApp user and not someone obsessed with blue bubbles. So it’s near inconceivable for us to imagine someone we know that doesn’t use the app. But for those who by some miracle don’t, there’s some good news. The Meta subsidiary is working on accommodating guest users, or users without a WhatsApp account.
WABetaInfo reports that the feature has been spotted in the Android 2.25.22.13 beta update, though it’s not yet available for beta testers. But the gist of it is that it allows for communication between those with an account and those without. These are referred to as “guest chats”. App users can start one by sending an invite link to a non-user contact. All that’s needed now is for the invited person to hit the link.
As you’d expect, guest chats come with its own set of limitations. The primary one here is that media attachments are not supported. This includes GIFs, photos and videos, as well as video and voice messages. Voice and video calls are also out. And with the way the invite link is implemented, it means group chats are also not possible.
Despite these downsides, WhatsApp guest chats will still come with end-to-end encryption. But for now, it’s still unclear when the feature will get released to the general public.
(Source: WABetaInfo)
