WhatsApp plans to hold features for ransom until you accept privacy terms

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

WhatsApp users are existence presented with something of a good news-bad news situation from the Facebook-owned chat app. A May xv deadline to accept new privacy terms for WhatsApp is no longer going to be enforced. Merely users will eventually have to agree to the policy or slowly lose access to WhatsApp features.

Equally yous may recall, WhatsApp rolled out a new privacy policy at the beginning of the year that would have shared data with Facebook, removing the ability to opt out. As you might imagine, that sparked some controversy amidst WhatsApp users, some of whom dropped the chat service. Those that remained were supposed to accept a May fifteen borderline for accepting the policy or have their accounts deleted.

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Now, WhatsApp says the deadline's no longer a difficult and fast 1, at to the lowest degree according to the FAQ the company posted. "No ane will have their accounts deleted or lose functionality of WhatsApp on May 15," the FAQ says.

Instead, if you don't hold to WhatsApp's privacy policy, you'll start getting what the company calls "persistent reminders" — basically a nag that will appear every fourth dimension you lot log into the app.

WhatsApp privacy policy — WhatsApp posted what to look if y'all don't agree to its new privacy policy (Image credit: WhatsApp)

Only that volition somewhen change later on a few weeks. At that point, you'll nonetheless exist able to respond incoming calls phone and video calls through WhatsApp, but you'll lose access to your chat list. Anyone with notifications turned on tin tap those in order to read messages and answer to them.

Yet, if you yet don't agree to the privacy policy after that, a few weeks later, the incoming calls and notifications volition stop, too. WhatsApp says it won't delete your account if you don't accept the privacy update.

Correct at present, there isn't any manner to accept the new privacy policy and remove consent after, and there isn't a way to avert being affected by information technology. If you want to keep using the app, it seems this is the only style, at least for now.

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Brittany Vincent has been roofing video games and tech for over thirteen years for publications including Tom's Guide, MTV, Rolling Stone, CNN, Pop Science, Playboy, IGN, GamesRadar, Polygon, Kotaku, Proverb, and more than. She's likewise appeared as a panelist at video game conventions like PAX East and PAX Westward and has coordinated social media for companies similar CNET. When she's not writing or gaming, she'south looking for the adjacent groovy visual novel in the vein of Saya no Uta. Yous can follow her on Twitter @MolotovCupcake.