WhatsApp Will Stop Working if You Don't Accept Its New Privacy Policies

February 22, 2021 3 min read

A few days ago, WhatsApp announced that it will allow its users to review the new privacy policies “at their own pace .” While lengthening the deadline to accept the update helped calm the wave of complaints, the app will stop working for users who reject the measures.

Controversy broke out last January over changes to WhatsApp’s terms and conditions . These include displaying advertisements and allowing users to authorize the platform to share data with Facebook , for commercial purposes.

The protests and the massive flight of users to other messaging apps such as Telegram and Signal, forced the company to postpone the deadline for accepting the update , from February 8 to May 15 .

Nothing comes between you and your privacy. Messaging with a business is optional, and their chats are clearly labeled on the app. You are in control.

For more information, please read: https://t.co/55r1Qxv2Wi pic.twitter.com/HswXxRylHo

– WhatsApp (@WhatsApp) February 18, 2021

^{“Nothing stands between you and your privacy. Messaging with a company is optional and your chats are clearly labeled in the app. You are in control,” states WhatsApp on Twitter.}

In an email addressed to a business partner, Mark Zuckerberg’s application notes that it will “slowly ask” users to accept the update “to have the full functionality of WhatsApp,” said the TechCrunch portal.

The plan was confirmed on the WhatsApp website , where they clarify that if by May 15 you have not accepted, there will be consequences.

What happens if I can’t access the WhatsApp update?

Although, they affirm that the platform will not delete your account , “you will not have access to all the functions of WhatsApp until you accept them .” After that date, for a few weeks “you will be able to receive calls and notifications, but you will not be able to read or send messages from the application”.

WhatsApp policy states that inactive user accounts “are generally deleted after 120 days of inactivity.” So if you take too long to authorize or stop connecting, you could lose your account and all your activity: conversations, photos, backups, etc. If you decide to reinstall it later, you will only be able to recover the little that has been stored on your device.

The platform is very clear about the options that its users now have: accept the update or delete their account.

Despite the complaints and controversy, the company ensures that the data shared with Facebook does not change . ” Your acceptance of the new conditions of service does not expand the ability of WhatsApp to share user data with Facebook,” emphasizes the platform.

Since 2016, WhatsApp’s privacy policies allow it to share certain metadata with Facebook , such as device information and user’s phone number . The new terms will allow both platforms to share payment and transaction data to better target ads, while expanding their e-commerce offerings.