Tag: Facebook

The popular mobile messaging app will now be giving the social network its user data for ad targeting.

WhatsApp privacy is the catch users have been waiting to find. Mobile app users have wondered why WhatsApp suddenly changed from a premium application to a free one. The cost may not be in currency but will instead be in shared user data.

Facebook owns WhatsApp but has, until now, kept its fingers out of the user data files from the application.

Now, Facebook will be changing the level of WhatsApp privacy available to users. The mobile will share user data with Facebook for ad targeting purposes. Initially, it appeared that while there are certain controls being added to the mobile app’s settings, it isn’t possible to opt out entirely.

However, once a user has accepted the new terms and conditions for use of the app – a requirement for being able to use it – the mobile application automatically adds a new option within the settings for the account.  There, users can choose to opt out of the information sharing – a permanent choice that cannot be changed after it has been made.  That said, unless the users opt out, the mobile application will start sending some of the data in the account with the parent company.

This massive change was announced in a large update to the WhatsApp privacy policy.

A recent WhatsApp blog post said “[B]y 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.” Facebook will be better capable of showing more relevant advertising and improved friend suggestions, said the blog post.

Beyond Facebook itself, WhatsApp will also be sharing user data with the entire “Facebook family of companies.” This may include other Facebook acquisitions and firms, such as Oculus Rift, a virtual reality firm. That said, Facebook also owns Instagram, the photo sharing network, which may mean information will be shared there, too.

Among the user information to be shared under the new WhatsApp privacy policy is even the phone number used for account verification. This has already caused many users to bristle, with displeased comments appearing over Facebook and Twitter. There are certain pieces of information that consumers are more and less comfortable sharing openly. A telephone number does not typically fall within the category of the data they are pleased to see shared with unknown recipients.

Move over Candy Crush, Pokémon Go has become the biggest mobile game in the US.

Pokémon Go has been steadily breaking records since the first day it was released. The augmented reality scavenging game broke download records on its launch day. Now, the game has 21 million active daily users in the United States. It is the nation’s top mobile game, successfully surpassing Candy Crush Saga’s 20 million peak active user total.

Pokémon Go may even surpass SnapChat.

In addition to leaving Candy Crush in its dust, Nintendo and Niantic’s crown jewel is also squashing other hugely popular mobile games. Both Supercell’s Clash Royale and Slitehr.io were big candidates for 2016’s top mobile game title. Not anymore. These games don’t have a chance to compete with the all-out sensation that Pokémon Go has become.

In fact, according to data from SurveyMonkey Intelligence, the Pokémon mobile game phenomenon is predicted to beat the number of Snapchat active daily users on Android devices within the next couple of days.

If this should happen, the augmented reality mobile game will also surpass Google Maps active daily Android users. More smartphone users will use maps to find Pokémon than anything else. This is quite remarkable to say the very least.

This top mobile game is even more engaging than Facebook.

The AR game doesn’t only have more active daily users than any other mobile game. It is also proving to have better average user engagement than social media giant Facebook. A news article from Forbes noted that according to Sensor Tower data, the game is more engaging and taking up more user time than Facebook.

If Pokémon Go continues with its latest trend, it will no doubt continue to become more popular than social media apps. It should be noted, however, that even though the game is toppling social media apps, it isn’t surpassing other mobile games in terms of time spent playing. For instance, the average Game of War player spends 2 hours daily playing. Even Candy Crush Saga players average approximately 43 minutes daily, which still exceeds Pokémon’s 33 minutes daily average.

Pokémon Go will soon be launched in other major countries and has recently been released in Germany. It will be interesting to see if the game manages to claim the top mobile game spot in these other countries as well.