Whatsapp
What happens to the account on May 15th
Users should confirm WhatsApp’s new terms of use by May 15. But what happens if you don’t want to agree to this?
The popular messenger Whatsapp has new terms of use. These had caused a stir and criticism in the past few months. Many users turned their backs on WhatsApp and have been using alternatives such as signal or Threema. By today, May 15th, users should approve the new rules. But what actually happens if you don’t?
What is it about
The company behind WhatsApp has been part of Facebook since 2014. Users were mostly outraged about that collected data should be transmitted to other parts of the group – which was the case before. For the users themselves, nothing really changes in communication. Initially, the changes in the privacy policy and terms of use should be confirmed by February 8th, but shortly thereafter the deadline was postponed to May 15th.
What WhatsApp says about it
Originally it was said that users can only access functions of the messenger to a limited extent if they do not agree to the new rules. However, this should not be the case for the time being, as WhatsApp explains on its help page. Accordingly, the functionality would not be restricted on May 15th and accounts should not be deleted either.
However, this is just another postponement. WhatsApp wants to give users who have not yet agreed to the changes more time and remind them again. After a few weeks, this reminder will be displayed permanently at some point. However, there is no precise information about this period.
As soon as users get this permanent reminder, fewer functions will be available to them. According to the company, users will then no longer be able to access their chat list, among other things, but will still be able to receive voice and video calls and tap notifications to answer messages. After weeks of this limited functionality, WhatsApp will block these features as well. No more messages or calls would then be sent to the smartphone.
The account will not be deleted after this step, but a policy for inactive users applies. This states that an account will be deleted after 120 days of inactivity – if no connection has been established via the application. There is also more information on this on the help page.