WhatsApp Update Lets Users Send APK, ZIP And Other Files Upto 128 MB

A WhatsApp update has brought along highly awaited functionality changes for the app — users with the updated version will now be able to send almost any kind of file over chat.

Read: How Private Is Your iPhone, WhatsApp Chat?

Earlier, users could only send files with .pdf, .docx, .Xlsx, and other such file extensions. The new update adds the ability to send files with .zip and .apk extensions, which means that users can now send across zip files and third-party app download links over a WhatsApp Chat.

The update has also increased the maximum size of files sent on WhatsApp from 30MB to 100MB for Android users and 128MB for iOS users.

You will also be able to send uncompressed image files. Prior to the update images were compressed before sending via WhatsApp, which degraded their quality.

The way you attach the files remains unchanged — you can either click on the ‘share’ option next to the file you need to send and choose WhatsApp or you can click on the ‘attach’ button and just click on ‘document’ in the pop-up screen.

All the files downloaded from WhatsApp will be available in your phone’s download folder.

The update also brings changes to the app's media sharing and voice calling. The media sharing change seems to be an aesthetic one—if you receive bulk images or files, they will be bundled into a single folder instead of showing individually as they did in the version. The voice calling interface has changed in the updated version and users will now be required to swipe upwards to receive a WhatsApp voice call instead of sideways. This feature gives the interface a more polished look.

There is another minor change which has been included in the change log — you can now swipe up from the in-app camera to see all of your photos and videos.

The update had already been handed out to beta testers and will now roll out to any user who has the stable release of WhatsApp, according to a Reddit user. The version of the app is 2.17.254, so if you haven’t received the update, you might need to check what version you have currently installed.

In case if you don’t want to wait for the update, you can download the new version of the app by clicking on the APK link here, but don’t forget to take a backup of your existing data before you proceed with the download.

Strangely though, the app hasn’t received any privacy updates, although it has been recently downgraded by the privacy watchdog Electronic Frontier Foundation which says WhatsApp data might be used for surveillance purposes. The app currently features end-to-end encryption for users.

EFF rated WhatsApp as the lowest in user privacy protection among leading tech companies.

Read: WhatsApp 'Unsend,' 'Recall' Message Feature Coming Soon? How To Use It Once It's Released

“While both companies have adopted industry-accepted best practices of requiring a warrant for content, publishing law enforcement guidelines, and publishing a transparency report, and while we applaud both companies for advocating for reforms to overbroad NSA surveillance, these two companies are not acting as leaders in other criteria that we examine,” the watchdog said in its “Who has your back” privacy report.