The Five Features on WhatsApp Pulling Africans to The Platform

• WhatsApp users in Africa are increasing by the numbers and have been estimated to be over 100 million users
• There are about 33 million users in Nigeria which makes the platform as massive messaging platform in the country
• Nigerians and other African users on WhatsApp use it for variety of reasons, ranging from group meetings and use of funny stickers

According to Statista, about 190 million Africans use WhatsApp, the popular messaging platform.

Nigeria has about 33 million active users in Nigeria, and they are the most ferocious users of the platform on the continent.

Statista also states that about 95.4 per cent of internet users in South Africa are on WhatsApp monthly. In Nigeria, 91.99 per cent use the internet. In Kenya, 93.5 per use the internet and in Ghana and 89.9 per cent are on the internet.

Stickers

Stickers allow them to express emotions, ranging from love to other reactions on WhatsApp.

The stickers show funny characters, mostly developed by users on the continent. They are also customised for most countries.

Group functions

WhatsApp permits groups to meet on the platform. In addition, the platform allows users to create group chats from community meetings to school and other religious affiliations.

Video and Phone call functionality

WhatsApp video and voice calls are near top-notch, and the internet network is good.

WhatsApp also uses minimal internet, and in places where the network is nifty, users can place a call both on video and voice.

Since video calls debuted on the platform five years ago, it has been a preferred place for video calls.

Also, most people prefer WhatsApp call to voice calls which use air time.

Data Privacy

WhatsApp messages are encrypted end-to-end, meaning that not even the platform can read chats sent across the platform.

The company promises 100 per cent privacy after its parent company, Meta Platforms, came under massive criticism over the data breach.

The platform allows you control over who has access to your messaging via a six-digit code.

Recently, WhatsApp said it would let people quietly sneak out of group chats.

Its other new features like selecting who can and can't see when they're online and allowing people to check WhatsApp without their friends and family knowing when they're active on the app.

New features coming soon

WhatsApp is now testing a feature allowing users to block people from screenshotting these temporary messages. However, there is currently no set timeline for this feature to roll out to users.

Meta's CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, said recent that new updates were part of moves to build "new ways to protect uses' messages and keep them as private and secure as face-to-face conversations."

WhatsApp had more than 2 billion users across the globe, according to the statistics website Think Impact.

The social media app has been a part of Meta since 2014, when the company acquired it for $19 billion, Insider reported.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg rolls out three new features for WhatsApp, gives users more power

Legit.ng reported that WhatsApp, a social media messaging network, is rolling out a way to hide your “last seen” status from specific contacts, as well as the ability to leave a group without notifying other users.

The new features were announced by Mark Zuckerberg, Meta CEO, on Tuesday, 9 August 2022 on his Facebook page.

Last December, WhatsApp started hiding users’ online status from strangers by default. However, it still allows your entire list of contacts to see whether or not you’re online.

Source: Legit.ng