31–40 of 46 posts
Now, Whatsapp should release API access to chats so that customers can automate chats. That'll allow them to scale to an Enterprise level.
It could really replace / augment the same type of integration Facebook Messenger supports.
And yet WhatsApp refuse to allow my work phone access to their network as they don't recognise the phone number as that of a mobile phone. After they asked to see documentation from my phone provider to show that it was indeed a mobile phone contract they ran out of excuses and fell back on "there's nothing we can do"
Yet surprisingly they allow Google voice numbers. Strange.
Twilio numbers do not work, since they are now sending the verification code from a 6 digit short number, which Twilio does not support.
WhatsApp has also cracked down on a number of temporary phone number services including Burner.
Businesses have both FB and WA icons painted on the outside, with the FB page name and the WA number.
Partially due to the heavy cash economy, all businesses' calls to action on social media (FB/Instagram) focus on getting people to message and then place orders via WA or Messenger (instead of clicking Buy links to CC forms online). The response rates are really good, within minutes for most places. It feels like a perfected version of "chatbot AI" sometimes.
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> The fact that I still need my phone around to use the webclient just sucks. Exactly, I never got this about WeChat and WhatsApp. If I have my computer (which has a 4G connection) with me, I shouldn't need to carry my phone with me. I usually run WhatsApp and WeChat inside Android virtual machines to solve this major design flaw.
Isn't that what web.whatsapp.com for?
My basic tenet of computing is that every device I own should be able to do ALL tasks that it is computationally capable of, without relying on other devices. When I'm sitting in front of a 4K screen with a massive multi-core CPU and GPU desktop, that I own, there is NO reason I should be be required to also have on my person a 6" dinky piece of junk just to operate the desktop. Every device should independently handle everything it is capable of.
So in my case the virtual machine can just run WhatsApp and I can completely leave my phone behind when I choose to carry my computer with me. Same thing for WeChat. I want my most powerful computers to be able to handle 100% of my personal tasks, not 99%.
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Isn't that what web.whatsapp.com for?
web.whatsapp.com requires you to scan some silly QR code with your phone instead of just inputting a username and password. The point is, I would like to not have to carry my phone. My basic tenet of computing is that every device I own should be able to do ALL tasks that it is computationally capable of, without relying on other devices. When I'm sitting in front of a 4K screen with a massive multi-core CPU and GPU…
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They're moving slow, probably out of extra caution about scaring off users by commercializing it. It's not like they're unaware of the absolutely massive demand for brands and companies to get into WA. Maybe it's also spam. You can't sign up for Whatsapp without a mobile number - landlines and VoIP mostly do not work to activate.
Google voice numbers work, and show up in contact lists as Grand Central, which makes me think they explicitly intend to support Google voice.
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web.whatsapp.com requires you to scan some silly QR code with your phone instead of just inputting a username and password. The point is, I would like to not have to carry my phone. My basic tenet of computing is that every device I own should be able to do ALL tasks that it is computationally capable of, without relying on other devices. When I'm sitting in front of a 4K screen with a massive multi-core CPU and GPU…
What about MFA?
Biometric MFA, I'm slightly more in support of.
I should be able to identify myself to any electronic system I own or control, using only what's in my mind and body, and nothing else. For now I use pretty much only passwords everywhere. With passwords I can walk and move freely about the world without worrying about losing stuff or forgetting to carry stuff. I always hated physical keys, because I forget them and lose them, and I hate anything that resembles a physical key in that respect.
I love combination locks to apartments and bicycles, by the way. You can head out the door and get around town with exactly nothing in your pocket. Maybe just a credit card to pay for food, at most. It's refreshingly simple and awesome to not have to carry stuff.
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What about MFA?
You can feel free to disagree but I don't believe in the current incarnations of MFA; at least not those done with a phone. Stolen phone = insecure system. Dead batteries or dead SIM = stranded. Biometric MFA, I'm slightly more in support of. I should be able to identify myself to any electronic system I own or control, using only what's in my mind and body, and nothing else. For now I use pretty much only passwords…
How entropic are combination locks? And vulnerable to picking - I've had to pick a 3-dial Realtor lock before in an emergency. It's easy with an aluminum-foil shim and Youtube instructions.
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WhatsApp need it because of the P2P technology. On Telegram, your messages are stored on their servers, so it's less secure, but you can text on multiple devices. I agree that we need business tools. The demand for customer service via WhatsApp where I work is much higher than the ability to a single operator answer them.
It's possible to store messages on the servers and be secure at the same time (I'm not saying Telegram in particular is secure). I think it's more because Whatsapp's model is much cheaper on server expenses (they only need to store messages on the server until it's delivered).
While it's almost impossible to crack some cryptos, it's definitely impossible retrieve data that simply isn't there.