Using WhatsApp third-party apps will now have more serious consequences than ever, as it will get you banned for life from the service.
WhatsApp is a widely popular messaging service used worldwide, boasting an impressive user base that continues to grow. For a good while now, WhatsApp has warned that it does not allow the use of third-party clients, but some users ignored the warnings altogether.
According to a new report, WhatsApp is no longer willing to tolerate this situation at all. German publication MobiFlip now claims to have received several reports from WhatsApp users who have been banned for life for continuing to use third-party clients.
Back in January, WhatsApp started taking more serious measures to combat the use of third-party apps. At the time, the company reiterated that only the official WhatsApp client should be used, and issued cease and desist letters to developers building third-party alternatives.
Third-party WhatsApp alternatives such as WhatsApp Plus and WhatsAppMD vanished from the App Store and Google Play, but some users still found ways to get such apps from other sources and install them manually on their devices.
WhatsApp eventually started to ban users of unauthorized apps in late January, and the company is getting more serious about it. While at first WhatsApp banned unauthorized app users for 24 hours, it later extended the ban to 72 hours and it has now decided that repeat offenders deserve to be banned for life.
In other words, if you insist on using third-party WhatsApp clients although you know they are not allowed, you will no longer be welcomed to WhatsApp at all, ever.
Once WhatsApp bans you for life, it seems that the only way to get back to the service is to get a new phone number and create a new account. If you continue to use third-party clients, however, that new account will be banned as well.
Nevertheless, some consumers continue to prefer third-party WhatsApp clients because they offer some extra features that are not available with the official app. Such features may include the ability to send larger audio messages and videos, more customization options, and others such.
Considering WhatsApp's strong position against third-party clients and its latest measures in this regards, using non-official WhatsApp versions hardly seems worth it anymore.
