In its conquest to get a stranglehold on social, Facebook has launched WhatsApp on KaiOS, a little heard of platform derived from Firefox OS that powers JioPhone devices in India. JioPhone launched last July with a price tag of ₹0 but did have a security deposit of ₹1500 which can be reclaimed after returning the device at Jio stores after three years.
With the new WhatsApp version, users of KaiOS will be able to message contacts quickly and reliably as well as send photos, videos, and voice messages. All of the data that’s transmitted is end-to-end encrypted by the firm. In order to use the app, JioPhone users need to verify their phone number, then they can begin chatting. The app supports one-on-one chats as well as groups chats.
In terms of availability, users can grab WhatsApp from the JioPhone AppStore beginning today and it will be rolled out on all devices by September 20, 2018. The messaging app is available for both the JioPhone and the Qwerty keyboard-equipped JioPhone 2 via the AppStore.
While it’s great to see WhatsApp arrive on this operating system, users probably shouldn"t expect more advanced features that are found in the apps on other platforms.