Why Indians had to wait for WhatsApp user name despite India being its biggest market?
MORE SECURE? WhatsApp rolls out user name reservation feature.
Meta had stated: "The feature to reserve a username is rolling out gradually... If you don't see this option yet, it's really just a matter of time.
WhatsApp will notify users directly in their app once the feature is available in their country." (This did not happen). And, with 853 million users, not India first!
NEW DELHI, Jul 1: WhatsApp launched its much anticipated user name reservation
feature on June 29 to address modern privacy concerns like other major messaging
platforms such as Signal and WeChat.
However, most Indian users of its messaging platform could access the feature
in their app settings only after 00:00 hours Wednesday July 1.
The time lag is officially attributed to a staggered propagation of the update
considering the massive user base and the load factor. WhatsApp claims it activated
the menu option in waves and server-side batches to control traffic. It was
also stated that the feature was being deployed in phases, country-by-country
updates.
So India came second (?) in the timeline of the 'pecking order' despite the fact that it is WhatsApp's largest market with a user base of 853 million, constituting about 58% of a
population of 1.47 billion, while the US has only 98 milliion users for a population
of 350 million (28%)?
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The new feature is available on both Android and iOS mobile phones, says Meta,
the parent company. WhatsApp is actually quite late to the game, as usernames
have been a staple of major messaging platforms for years.
The user name is set to connect over 3 billion global users using a unique
handle—user name/id—meaning you no longer have to give out your personal phone
number for a chat. Your number will not be sourced from Whatsapp anymore by
unscrupulous elements for nefarious activities! But your number is needed to
register with the app.
However, WhatsApp allows users to continue using their mobile numbers for messaging
etc if they so wish, with or without user name, user name feature remaining
an option.
Meta says, "Once someone has your number, there's no way to take that back
if things don't work out the way you expected. That's where usernames come in.
With a username, you can message someone new without sharing your phone number.
WhatsApp will still require users to enter their phone number to sign up and
log into the app. However, messaging is getting a privacy upgrade... It moves
WhatsApp closer to how many other messaging apps already work.
Where to find the new feature in your app
"The feature to reserve a username is rolling out gradually on both Android
and iOS. If you don't see this option yet, it's really just a matter of time.
WhatsApp will notify users directly in their app once the feature is available
in their country. (This didnot happen) The full username feature will be available
to everyone later this year. For now, you can reserve your preferred username
to claim it before others."
"WhatsApp isn't launching the full username feature just yet. Instead, WhatsApp
is opening reservations early, so people have the chance to pick the username
that matters to them before it's gone.
"After updating WhatsApp, open the app settings, tap Account, and then tap
Username (if and when 'Username' is added there). Finally, you can type in the
username you want, as long as it's still available. If you do not know which
username to choose, WhatsApp also offers a feature that generates some suggestions
based on your input," it says.
USER NAME: Where to find the new feature
Requirements for choosing a WhatsApp username
It says, "Your username cannot exceed 35 characters (3 to 35). It can't start
with "www." or end with a domain extension. Your username also needs to include
at least one letter, and it has to be the first character. This means that numbers
and symbols alone aren't enough. It is possible to use periods or underscores,
but you can't put two periods in a row."
You can also claim your Instagram or Facebook handle
WhatsApp lets users claim the same username they already use on Instagram or
Facebook, but needs proof you own it. Anybbody else can also take them for Whatsapp
user name. First come, first served. Instagram or Facebook ID is not guaranteed
for the users for Whatsapp user name. That means, if you own a username on Instagram
or Facebook, and you want to reserve it on WhatsApp, you should reserve it as
soon as possible.
Usernames will hide your phone number from new contacts
"For anyone who wants to keep their phone number private, this changes a lot
about how WhatsApp can be used."
Four-digit PIN keys for enhanced privacy
"With the username key, people need to know it before they can message you
for the first time. After reserving a username, you can configure the username
key from the same section. You should enable the 'username key' if you claimed
a well-known handle from Instagram or Facebook. If your username isn't something
anyone could easily guess, you might not need it. Either way, it's up to you
and how comfortable you are with your username," Meta said.
This did not happen:
WhatsApp had said it will notify users directly in the app once the feature
is available in their country. But that was reportedly not seen in apps in India.
Meta had also said the feature is being deployed in phased, country-by-country
updates.
WhatsApp had planned to activate the menu option in waves and server-side batches,
rather than all at once, for its 3 billion users.
If most Indians are only seeing the option or receiving news about it on July
1, it is due to Meta's standard staged rollout strategy, it is claimed.
Key features and how to reserve user name
Hidden phone numbers: While your phone number is still required to create
an account, it will no longer be automatically visible to people outside your
contacts.
No public directory: There is no public directory or auto-complete search.
To message you first, users must know your exact username.
Optional PIN security: You can add an extra layer of security by requiring
a 4-digit PIN. People will need both your exact username and the PIN to contact
you.
Username Format: Usernames are unique, 3 to 35 characters long, and
can contain letters, numbers, periods and underscores.
Ensure you have downloaded the latest version of WhatsApp. Open WhatsApp and
tap on Settings (from the three dot dropdown at right top). Select Account and
then tap Username (if seen). Reserve your unique handle on a first-come, first-served
basis.
If you don't find the entry 'User Name,' wait. Your update is coming soon!
The incident has triggered a debate on social media whether the officer refused to take orders from a party leader or he was accused of any corruption, some netizens justifying the handling in either case, that Ratnakar was blocking public welfare work! It is true the Govt machinery has been the enemy Number One of the people of this country, existing for itself and for these politicians, for well over seven decades. India will never make an inch of progress - real progress, not make-believe-progress - unless and until this machinery is eliminated.
ANALYSIS: There have been cases of Britons going to Switzerland to get rid of a miserable life. Now once the House of Lords also passes the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, terminally ill Britons can call it quits with the help of a medical practitioner here itself. But the measure when comes into practice, will have very serious social consequences, it is feared. There won't be comparisons, even as tropes in Latin American folklores. The worst case scenario is of those who are not terminally ill also trying to misuse the provision to leave this world early when life with dignity is not available. But that is, in fact, a political question and not a moral imbroglio!
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A comment on social media on Kanimozhi's answer on the question of national language read: "Daughter of Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi. Delivered the Birthday Present to her Father!!" (Karunanidhi was born on June 3, 1924)
(Today's headlines )
Trump said, "Elon is not really leaving" and will be "back and forth" to the White House because DOGE is his "baby." "I think he’s going to be doing a lot of things.”
Musk wrote: "My scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end... The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government." Now on it will be on auto-pilot.
PROGNOSIS: DOGE was prematurely born to protect the country by aborting an impending socio-economic disaster which very few people could see coming.
Although its immediate job was to save American taxpayers billions by slashing waste, eliminating fraud, cutting Government bloat and ensuring utmost efficiency in administration for the good of the people.
(Today's headlines )
"Coming from a system like in England, empowering," she says she never had an idea of this sort of experience... being asked to “socialise with middle-aged men” who financed the event...humiliating...
Originally from Junagadh, Gujarat, Pataudi was relocated to Etawah Lion Safari in September 2019 before being transferred to Gorakhpur Zoo in 2021. Recently it was receiving treatment for pancreatic and liver infections. After tigress Shakti died in the zoo on May 7 due to bird flu, Pataudi was shifted to Kanpur. Some birds are also reported to have died mysteriously around Gorakhpur. All zoos in UP are closed for fear of a bird flu outbreak.
Three other animals too had died - a tiger, a leopardess and a female wolf. Wolf Bhairavi died last Saturday, leopardess Mona died the Thursday before that and tiger Kesari died on March 30. Some of them had Shakti's symptoms but the cause of death has not been confirmed yet.
As tourist inflow is an indicator of normalcy returning to an erstwhile terrorist infested Valley, the Government has been trying hard to make everything travel-friendly, launching lot many projects and bringing Kashmir on the national rail map that physically completes the process of Kashmir's integration with the rest of India. And that defeats the designs of Pakistan eyeing Kashmir and simply explains a recrudescence of terrorism in J&K.
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Of 2.08 km in length, it features 99 spans and a 72.5-metre vertical lift span that rises up to a height of 17 metres, facilitating smooth movement of ships while ensuring seamless train services to the holy town of Rameswaram on Pamban island.
ANALYSIS: There is a lot of hue and cry around the world over Trump's tariffs. But tariff, simply put, is a tax. But unlike tax, it affects the exporting country too. Domestic prices will go up for some time. Nothing more will happen, good or bad!
What motivated Trump's newfound policy, apart from being a stunt to justify his existence in the White House, is a false realisation that increased tariff will make foreign goods prohibitive, thereby boosting local production, and create more jobs, and more prosperity will ring in! If that is true, India would have been shining by now: Producing own Rolls-Royce La Rose Noire Droptail and Scotch Whiskies! And what about coconut and palm oil by America!
(Today's headlines )
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Suddenly these colonial clerks feel this effortless, little rule will tremendously enhance security and convenience for the railway passengers manifold. More stations will be covered in the next 77 years! (Also See:
New Delhi station stampede... What went wrong?)
) 
