Tired of unofficial mock ups, WhatsApp banned third-party client WhatsApp Plus on Tuesday night and it continues to remain inaccessible.
The ban was imposed with a 24-hour countdown to unblock the unofficial service. This move by Whastapp is aimed at bringing users' attention to the fact that they are risking losing their private information to third parties by using WhatsApp Plus.
The popular third-party client offers additional features like themes, new emoticons and more that cannot be found on the original app. The forked WhatsApp client uses the same servers as WhatsApp, but violates the company's terms of service. Therefore, WhatsApp blocked access to the unofficial app and suggested installing the authorized version from Google Play Store instead, to continue using the service.
"WhatsApp Plus is an application that was not developed by WhatsApp, nor is it authorized by WhatsApp. The developers of WhatsApp Plus have no relationship to WhatsApp, and we do not support WhatsApp Plus. Please be aware that WhatsApp Plus contains source code which WhatsApp cannot guarantee as safe and that your private information is potentially being passed to 3rd parties without your knowledge or authorization," according to the company's FAQ page, which explained the reason behind the banning of WhatsApp Plus.
WhatsApp Plus managed to make quite an appeal with its extended add-ons. On top of all the basic features available in WhatsApp, the forked version allows users to customize the entire app - from adjusting the conversation, contacts and main chat screen to choosing different colours for the app logo as well as light notifications for new message. Unlike WhatsApp, which offers 16MB limit on sending media files, WhatsApp Plus allows sharing of files up to 50MB.
In Whatsapp Plus, there are more than 1,000 themes to choose from. These features clearly won over users' attention despite the risks involved.
The ban on using WhatsApp seems to be unavoidable. Several users tried uninstalling WhatsApp Plus and installing WhatsApp, but couldn't. It appears that the users will need to wait out the clockdown before using the app once again. Users can go to Play Store and download the official app for free.
If you really wish to use WhatsApp on the same device, register with our alternate number (if you have one). The service will resume on a new number, but on the same number it will work only after 24 hours.
