WhatsApp will now let users log into two accounts simultaneously

retiolus@lemmy.cat to Technology@lemmy.world – 92 points –
WhatsApp will now let users log into two accounts simultaneously
news.retiolus.net
24

The cynic in me immediately thinks this is so Facebook can further connect your activity to sell

The owner of what’s app is enough to keep me off it.

Probably, I mean the reason most people pop a 2nd SIM in their phone is for registering on websites where they'd rather not have their main number cross-referenced and datamined. This can be anything from Amazon to personal ads sites.

But the moment you give in to the temptation to register than 2nd number with Whatsapp Meta will be able to figure out from your contacts who you are and associate it with the main number.

Great! So now I can not use a meta product twice! Switch to signal, element or simplex and dump surveillance companies forever guy!

And yes it has encryption, it’s still meta data open and the owner is meta! Enough said

Ah yes. Now meta will know the high profile business guy behind account A also browses kiddy porn via account B. Well played.

For dual sim phones I guess?

Not necessarily, they're also allowing people with two single-sim phones to associate both numbers with the same WhatsApp account.

Which like the other comment said makes me suspect they're really after collecting people's 2nd numbers, in whatever shape or form (2nd phone, 2nd SIM, 2nd eSIM etc.)

I just want the ability to turn off WhatsApp.

Like on a Sunday morning let me kill all notifications and calls.

Just add proxy to something that leads to nowhere to block WhatsApp from connecting anywhere.

Please could you point me in the right direction on how to do this / an app I would need. Thanks.

Adding proxy is a native feature in WhatsApp.

  1. Go to Settings > Storage and Data > Proxy.
  2. Add 127.0.0.1 in the IP address and add a random port too.
  3. When you want to disconnect WhatsApp from the internet, just turn on the proxy. To reconnect, turn it off.

Doesn't let me click the big green button to submit. Nothing happens. No matter what ip and port (port being optional it says)

But your account is linked to your phone number, and your phone only has one number.... right?

Dig they bring out a PC client yet btw? That's what stops me from using WhatsApp, I don't chat to people on my mobile, if it's not on my desktop I'm not likely to see it >.<

and your phone only has one number.... right?

Dual-SIM phones are a thing and have been for a LONG time. They're not as common in the US (where I'm assuming you're from given you aren't familiar with dual-SIM phones) but even my S22 supports it, and I think even iPhones come with it stock now. A lot of people use two SIM cards for a multitude of reasons, and so many people have two numbers. Heck, some phones even support three SIM cards.

Dig they bring out a PC client yet btw?

It's been out for a long time now. You have to set it up on your phone first but then you install the application on your computer, scan a QR code to link it, and at that point you can just disable notifications on your phone if you don't want them.

Phones can have double sims, and WhatsApp web (been out for years by now) can be used on any decent Desktop Browser, it can also be installed as a PWA and I think there is a WhatsApp Desktop version as well.

I've been using 2 accounts on my phone for years. I had no idea this was something enabled by Samsung and not by WhatsApp.

That's called app cloning and it's accomplished by the phone manufacturer keeping two copies of Whatsapp that each see a different phone number. Presumably you have a dual SIM phone.