WHATSAPP is having a makeover and things are about to get very colourful.
The creators behind the messaging app finally caved after billions of users demanded the change.
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One of the changes set to be rolled out is the option to change the colour of the text bubbles.
Rather than light green and white, people will be able to choose from a selection of colours including purple, blue, orange and pink.
There will also be pre-set chat themes, which brighten up the background and bubbles automatically.
There’s an option to mix and match the colours too.
Chat themes can be set as the same for all contacts, or users can set individual layouts.
“You asked for it. Here it is!” WhatsApp told Express.co.uk.
It will still be possible for users to add their own backgrounds via the camera roll.
This comes after a nightmare glitch allowed users to see “view once” photos multiple times.
The Meta-owned messenger, used by two billion people worldwide, was alerted to the issue by cybersecurity researcher Ramshath a few weeks ago.
The security flaw, which only impacted iPhone users, allowed anyone to see ‘View Once’ content in the stored media section of their app Settings.
WhatsApp has released a fix in an updated version of the iOS app, titled 25.2.3.
While the flaw has been patched up, Ramshath said in a Medium post that it has “significant privacy implications” and could spark “trust issues” among users who rely on the feature to share private media.
“Features that promise privacy should deliver on their word,” said Ramshath. “Anything less puts user confidence at risk.”
The View Once feature, introduced in 2022, means certain media and messages cannot be reopened, screenshot, or screen recorded.
Content sent under the ‘View Once’ feature will automatically disappear from chats after being opened for the first time.
A separate but similar ‘View Once’ loophole emerged last year, when hackers were able to save and share copies of private media.
Cybersecurity researchers at Zengo discovered that hackers could turn off the View Once feature after the content has been sent.
