Introduction and history of whatsapp

Introduction to whatsapp

WhatsApp is a cross-platform mobile messaging app which allows you to exchange messages
without having to pay for SMS. WhatsApp Messenger is available for iPhone, BlackBerry, Android,
Windows Phone and Nokia. Those phones can call and message each other. Because WhatsApp
Messenger uses the same internet data plan that you use for email and web browsing, there is no
cost to message and stay in touch with your friends.

WhatsApp had become the largest messaging platform all around the world. WhatsApp was
founded by Jan Koum and Brain Acton, who was the former employes at Yahoo Inc. WhatsApp
was initially started for Android mobile devices.

In addition,to basic messaging WhatsApp users can create groups, send each other unlimited
images, video and audio media messages with friends.

WhatsApp is one of the best and one of the fastest growing messaging platforms that have ever
existed.

WhatsApp allows the sending of text messages and voice calls, as well as video calls, images and other
media, documents, and user location.The application runs from a mobile device but is also accessible from
desktop computers; the service requires consumer users to provide a standard cellular mobile number.
Originally, users could only communicate with others individually or in groups of individual users, but in
September 2017, WhatsApp announced a forthcoming business platform that will enable companies to
provide customer service to users at scale.
History of whatsapp

WhatsApp, one of the most popular messaging platforms in the age of the internet. From humble
beginnings to widespread adaptation, the history of WhatsApp is example of a small tech startup
turned wildly successful company.

Origin of Whatsapp

Brian Acton and Jan Koum, the founders of WhatsApp, both worked as employees of Yahoo!
Before leaving the company. Shortly thereafter, they both applied for jobs at Facebook—jobs that
had they been accepted to would have likely left them unable to start WhatsApp—but were turned
down. At the time, Koum was living off of his savings from Yahoo!, with little direction as to where
his next career path would take him. In 2009, though, after purchasing an iPhone, Koum had the
vision to see that an entire industry was about to form based around mobile apps. Looking to
capitalize on this up-and-coming industry, Koum began to explore the possibility of creating an app
that would let mobile users better interact and engage with their friends, family, and business
contacts. Teaming up with Brian Acton, Koum managed to persuade five associates from Yahoo!
To fund the app with $250,000, and in 2009 WhatsApp was launched.

It was a bit of a rocky start for WhatsApp, though. After numerous crashes and failures, Koum grew
frustrated with the app’s development and reportedly considered giving it up entirely. It was Acton
that encouraged Koum to stick it out “a few more months” each time the duo hit a setback.

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Luckily for the both of them, the duo did indeed stick it out and saw the app through to its eventual
success. By February of 2013, WhatsApp boasted 50 staff members and 200 million users. Shortly
thereafter, the app was bought out by Facebook for a staggering $19 billion—a number that stands
as the largest acquisition in the world to date.

Today, WhatsApp still logs over 100 million voice calls a day according the company’s blog. With
usage numbers like these combined with the app’s historic buyout, there’s no arguing the success
of WhatsApp. But what role did the WhatsApp logo play in the app’s success, and what is the
history of this iconic design?

History of the WhatsApp Logo

Not a lot is known about the origins of the WhatsApp logo. The design appears to have been
around since the launch of the app itself, seeming to suggest that it was designed by Koum and
Acton themselves during the initial stages of the app’s development and launch. Of course the
logo’s design could have easily been outsourced to a third-party designer as well—the
programming of the app itself was outsourced, after all.

At the end of the day, though, we do know that the basic design of the WhatsApp logo hasn’t
changed over the years, even after the company itself changed hands. This speaks to the
longevity and effectiveness of the design and is a testament to the fact that a logo doesn’t
necessarily have to have a long and interesting history in order for it to be serving its purpose just
fine.

Design Elements of the WhatsApp Logo

The WhatsApp logo features a few interesting design elements that are able to clearly
communicate the function of the app within a relatively simplistic design. WhatsApp serves as
platform for both instant messaging and audio/video calls, and the logo needed to effectively
communicate those functions. To do this, two separate elements of the design were used.

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The first of these elements is a text bubble. Ever since the days of instant messaging started, the
text bubble has been the most common way to symbolize a sent or received message. Even
today, most every text message received is displayed in one of these text bubbles. Text bubbles
indicating received messages have a “tail” pointing to the left, while text bubbles indicating sent
messages have a tail that points to the right. By incorporating a text bubble with a left-pointing tail
into their logo, WhatsApp is able to signify that they are a messaging app while also subtly tapping
in to the excitement people experience when they see that they have received a message.

To communicate the secondary function of the app (voice and video calls), the designer of the
WhatsApp logo placed a telephone within the text bubble. One interesting thing to note is that even
though WhatsApp is an app that was obviously designed for modern, mobile phones, the inner part
of the app’s logo features an older, landline phone. Since the only purpose of a landline phone is to
make calls—as opposed to a smartphone which has hundreds of functions—the landline phone in
the WhatsApp logo more effectively communicates the app’s function.

Popularity of the Whatsapp Logo

Due to the fact that people prefer for their mobile phones to have a neatly organized and
aesthetically pleasing user interface, it is especially important for mobile apps to have a crisp,
attractive logo. With over 1 billion users as of 2016, it is safe to say that people are entirely
satisfied with the way the WhatsApp logo looks on their phone.

In this way, the WhatsApp logo fulfills one of primary functions of a mobile app logo—do no
damage. While it is incredibly important for an app’s logo to be recognizable and unique, it is
equally important that the logo itself doesn’t give a user any reason to remove the app from their
home page, or, even worse, send it to the trash bin. The fact that almost one-seventh of the
world’s population uses WhatsApp is a testament to the likability of their logo and its effectiveness
as part of a phone’s user interface.

Due to factors such as these, designing a logo for a mobile app comes with its own set of
challenges and goals. The designers of the WhatsApp logo hit it out of the park, though, and the
WhatsApp logo serves as a great example of what to look for in app logo design.

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Owner of whatsapp

WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton is leaving the company to start his own non-profit. Acton, who
started at Facebook when WhatsApp was acquired for $19 billion in 2014, is the lesser-known of
WhatsApp’s two co-founders. (CEO Jan Koum is the other, and he’s not leaving the company.)
Ironically, Acton interviewed at Facebook back in 2009 after leaving a job at Yahoo, but he was not
hired.

Acton led engineering internally for WhatsApp, and a source close to the company says he was a
big advocate for WhatsApp’s push into encryption. His role won’t be filled by any one employee,
according to a company spokesperson.

Acton announced the departure to colleagues at a WhatsApp all-hands meeting at Facebook

headquarters on Tuesday, and posted the news to his Facebook page later that afternoon.

“I am very fortunate at my age to have the flexibility to take new risks and focus on what I’m
passionate about,” Acton, 45, wrote in a Facebook post. “I’ve decided to start a non-profit focused
at the intersection of nonprofit, technology and communications. It’s something I’ve thought about
for a while, and now it’s time to just focus and execute. I’ll have more to share in the coming
months.”

It’s not entirely clear what Acton will focus on with his new endeavor, but he certainly has money to
throw around. Forbes estimates Acton’s net worth at $6.5 billion.

His departure comes as WhatsApp, which has 1.3 billion users, is preparing to make some money.
The company is hiring for a number of key business positions, and sources say that WhatsApp is
building multiple enterprise products that will help businesses message and interact with
customers using the app. Right now, WhatsApp does not generate any revenue.

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Problems in whatsapp

1. Unable to connect to Whatsapp

 Wi-Fi or data connectivity issues are usually responsible for whatever Whatsapp connection
problems are encountered . If you are unable to call a friend or send them messages, then here are a
few things to try:Ensure you have the latest version of Whasapp installed.

 Check that you have an internet connection, either Wi-Fi or 3G network data should be enabled. Go
to Settings >> Wireless and Network.

 Make sure that your Whatsapp is not being affected by a Task Killer app.

 Clear the app cache. Go to Settings >> Applications >> Whatsapp >> Clear Cache.

 The last option, is to consider installing and then reinstalling the app.

2. Contacts not recognized by Whatsapp

here are a few simple solutions:

 Check that you have the right contact numbers, or rather the ones they use on Whatsapp.

 Make sure that they have an active Whatsapp account.

 Make sure that your Whatsapp is up to date by installing the latest version available.

 Check that all your contacts in the contacts list are set to ‘viewable‘ or ‘visible‘.

 Ensure that all your contact groups in your contact list are ‘visible‘ and/or ‘viewable‘.

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 3. Can’t Delete Whatsapp account

 First off, keep in mind that deleting your Whatsapp account is not the same thing as deleting the
Whatsapp app and vice versa. If you decide you don’t want Whatsapp on your phone, you can simply
uninstall it. However, if you want to later on, you can install it once again from the Play Store which
won’t be the same as having deleted your account.

 If you want to uninstall the Whatsapp app fro your device then, head into Settings >> Apps >> find
the Whatsapp app and tap Uninstall.
 To completely cut ties with Whatsapp and delete your account entirely: Launch Whatsapp tap Menu
>> Settings >> Account >> Delete My Account and then confirm your phone number. In this section,
you will also be able to change the Whatsapp number associated with the account.

4. Can’t download WhatsApp media content

 If your friend has sent a media file to you over WhatsApp and you can’t download it, then it means
there is an issue with your connectivity or data usage. Make sure that you have enabled the option of
media auto-download on your mobile data as well. Most of the times, it is only turned on for Wi-Fi
network. Go to Settings > Data usage and make relevant selections.

5. Can’t play videos on WhatsApp

 We can easily exchange videos and other media files on WhatsApp. Though, WhatsApp relies on
third-party apps to open them. For instance, if you are not able to open pictures or videos on your
phone, then chance are that there could be a problem with Google Photos. If you can’t play videos on
WhatsApp, then visit Play Store and update the “Google Photos” app. You can simply go to Play
Store Settings and make sure that the auto-update option for apps is enabled.

6. WhatsApp Error- 24

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  This is an error that occurs when trying to install WhatsApp to Android 4.4. The only solution to this
problem is to remove the file and reset your device to factory settings.

7. I cannot connect to WhatsApp, WhatsApp not working, or WhatsApp is down

Usually, WhatsApp connection problems are caused by your Wi-Fi network or data connection. If
you are unable to send a message, here are a few solutions:

• Ensure that your phone is switched on

• Install the latest version of the app from the Play Store
• Check your internet connection, Wi-Fi or 3G (in Settings > Wireless and Network)
• Ensure that a Task Killer app is not affecting WhatsApp
• Empty the app cache (Settings > Applications > WhatsApp > Clear Cache)
• Finally, the most extreme solution would be to uninstall the app and then reinstall it

At times, even the powerful WhatsApp faces server issues. If you think WhatsApp is not working
because the service is down, then go to the WhatsApp Status Twitter account, where outage updates
are provided.

8. I can’t see ‘Last Seen’ on WhatsApp

 If you are not able to see the Last Seen time stamp in a conversation, there could be a number of
reasons. If you have disabled your Last Seen time in Settings > Account > Privacy > Last Seen, then
you will not be able to see other people’s Last Seen time, either.
 If the problem is only with one or some contacts, then it might mean that they have disabled the Last
Seen time in their WhatsApp settings. If they are still receiving and replying to your messages, this is
more or less the case.
 Finally, it could be that a contact has blocked you. If your messages never go beyond the one grey
tick, then it is more certain that you have been blocked. Also, if you are unable to see the changes to
the contact’s profile, then you have certainly been blocked.

9. I have problems with voice calls or cannot answer calls

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  If you are facing issues of poor quality voice calls, drop outs or you are unable to make or receive
calls, it is almost certainly linked to your internet connection. Voice calls are carried out over Wi-Fi
or mobile data.
 Make sure that your connection is strong. If you are using mobile data, you will at least need 3G. You
can try to disconnect and again reconnect to the network. The problem may not even be on your end:
the person you are talking with will also need to ensure they have a good connection.

10. WhatsApp is blocked in my country

 We can solve this problem by using a VPN (virtual private network).

Requirement Analysis

 Functional requirements

1. User Registration
User must be able to register for the application through a valid phone number. On installing
the applications, user must be prompted to register their phone number. If user skips this step,
Application should close. The user’s phone number will be the unique identifier of his/her Account
on WhatsApp.

2. Adding New Contacts

The application should detect all contacts from the user’s phone book. If any of the contacts.
Have user accounts with WhatsApp, those contacts must automatically be added to the user’s
Contact list on WhatsApp.If any of the contacts have not yet registered on WhatsApp, user should
be provided with an Invite option that sends those contacts a regular text message asking them to
join WhatsApp Along with a link to the WhatsApp application on Google Playstore.

3. Send Message
User should be able to send instant message to any contact on his/her WhatsApp contact list.User
should be notified when message is successfully delivered to the recipient by displaying a. Tick
sign next to the message sent.

4. Send Attachments
User should be able to send audio, video and images as attachments.Audio formats that the
application should support : mp3 wavVideo formats that the application should support : avi mp4

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 flv gif. Image formats that the application should support: jpg png. File size must not exceed
2MB per message.

5. Broadcast Message
User should be able to create groups of contacts. User should be able to broadcast messages to
These groups.

 Non Functional Requirements/ Software Attributes

1. Scalability
WhatsApp should be able to provide instant messaging services to 1 billion users at any given
Time.

2. Privacy
Messages shared between users should be encrypted to maintain privacy.

3. Robustness
In case user’s device crashes, a backup of their chat history must be stored on remote database
Servers to enable recoverability.

4. Performance
Application must be lightweight and must send messages instantly.

 Operational Requirements

Application must work on all mobile and tablet devices. User interface must be consistent on all
devices.

Technologies Used in WhatsApp

 OS: FreeBSD.

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  Programming Language: Erlang.
 Virtual Machine: BEAM.
 Servers: Ejabberd and YAWS(For Multimedia Sharing)
 Database: Mnesia and SQLite (for Offline services)
 Stack: LYME/LYCE.
 Message Delivery Protocol: XMPP (eXtensible Messaging and Presence Protocol)
 Voice Call: PJSIP Library.

 WhatsApp server is almost completely implemented in Erlang.

 Server systems that do the backend message routing are done in Erlang.

 Great achievement is that the number of active users is managed with a really small server footprint.
Team consensus is that it is largely because of Erlang.

 WhatsApp server has started from ejabberd

 Ejabberd is a famous open source Jabber server written in Erlang.

 Originally chosen because its open, had great reviews by developers, ease of start and the promise of
Erlang’s long term suitability for large communication system.

 The next few years were spent re-writing and modifying quite a few parts of ejabberd, including
switching from XMPP to internally developed protocol, restructuring the code base and redesigning
some core components, and making lots of important modifications to Erlang VM to optimize server
performance.

 To handle 50 billion messages a day the focus is on making a reliable system that works.
Monetization is something to look at later, it’s far far down the road.

 A primary gauge of system health is message queue length. The message queue length of all the
processes on a node is constantly monitored and an alert is sent out if they accumulate backlog
beyond a preset threshold. If one or more processes falls behind that is alerted on, which gives a
pointer to the next bottleneck to attack.

 Multimedia messages are sent by uploading the image, audio or video to be sent to an HTTP server
and then sending a link to the content along with its Base64 encoded thumbnail (if applicable).

 Some code is usually pushed every day. Often, it’s multiple times a day, though in general peak
traffic times are avoided. Erlang helps being aggressive in getting fixes and features into production.

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 Hot-loading means updates can be pushed without restarts or traffic shifting. Mistakes can usually be
undone very quickly, again by hot-loading. Systems tend to be much more loosely-coupled which
makes it very easy to roll changes out incrementally.

 What protocol is used in Whatsapp app? SSL socket to the WhatsApp server pools. All messages are
queued on the server until the client reconnects to retrieve the messages. The successful retrieval of a
message is sent back to the whatsapp server which forwards this status back to the original sender
(which will see that as a “checkmark” icon next to the message). Messages are wiped from the server
memory as soon as the client has accepted the message

 How does the registration process work internally in Whatsapp? WhatsApp used to create a
username/password based on the phone IMEI number. This was changed recently. WhatsApp now
uses a general request from the app to send a unique 5 digit PIN. WhatsApp will then send a SMS to
the indicated phone number (this means the WhatsApp client no longer needs to run on the same
phone). Based on the pin number the app then request a unique key from WhatsApp. This key is used
as “password” for all future calls. (this “permanent” key is stored on the device). This also means that
registering a new device will invalidate the key on the old device.

Benefits of whatsapp for users

 WhatsApp is completely free for use.

 Instantly send a message to anywhere in the world.
 Easy to use, even a novice mobile user can use it.
 Voice call support.
 Video calling available.
 Send to anyone Document files upto 100Mb such as PDF, Slideshows, etc.
 It does not have any advertisements on display screen.
 WhatsApp calling made it more reliable.
 It has also the features to delete the message that you have sent (So He/She won’t be able to read
what you have sent to them) in period of 1 hour.
 It imports the contacts from your phone and tells you that how many of your friends are using
WhatsApp.
 You can share your location, photos, status, images, documents, videos with your friends.
 It do work without sim card, Only if your (Mobile No) account already registered.
 You need not spend any money for chatting and sharing with your friends (except the internet
charges)
 It shows that your message sent or not and the receiver has received or read the message. (single tick
for sent and double tick for delivered, grey is for delivered and blue is to show that the message is
read by the person).
 It also shows that the receiver received your voice message and listened to it. (Tips: Know The
WhatsApp Voice Message Played or Not.

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  Free calls to other WhatsApp users are supported.
 One of the best feature is that it provides an easy way to change your number to another number
without losing your existing WhatsApp account.
 App interface of WhatsApp is very simple and user-friendly, that’s why it is very easy to use.
 WhatsApp started providing end-to-end encryption feature, which makes your WhatsApp
communication highly secure.
 It has also extended it’s services for using direct in web browser and in Desktop System (Windows,
MacOS)
 It’s saves your money by reducing normal Text and Multimedia messages cost.

Facilities provided by whatsapp to users

1.Simple, Reliable Messaging

Message your friends and family for free*. WhatsApp uses your
phone’s Internet connection to send messages so you can avoid SMS
fees.

2.Groups to keep in touch

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 Keep in touch with the groups of people that matter the most, like
your family or coworkers. With group chats, you can share messages,
photos, and videos with up to 256 people at once. You can also name
your group, mute or customize notifications, and more.

3.Keep the Conversation Going

With WhatsApp on the web and desktop, you can seamlessly sync all
of your chats to your computer so that you can chat on whatever
device is most convenient for you. Download the desktop app or
visit web.whatsapp.com to get started.

4.Speak Freely

With voice calls, you can talk to your friends and family for
free*, even if they’re in another country. And with free* video
calls, you can have face-to-face conversations for when voice or
text just isn’t enough. WhatsApp voice and video calls use your
phone’s Internet connection, instead of your cell plan’s voice

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 minutes, so you don’t have to worry about expensive calling
charges.

5.Security by Default

Some of your most personal moments are shared on WhatsApp, which is

why we built end-to-end encryption into the latest versions of our
app. When end-to-end encrypted, your messages and calls are secured
so only you and the person you’re communicating with can read or
listen to them, and nobody in between, not even WhatsApp.

6.Share Moments that Matter

Send photos and videos on WhatsApp instantly. You can even capture

the moments that matter to you most with a built-in camera. With
WhatsApp, photos and videos send quickly even if you’re on a slow
connection.

7.Say What’s On Your Mind

Sometimes, your voice says it all. With just one tap you can record
a Voice Message, perfect for a quick hello or a longer story.

8.Document Sharing Made Easy

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 Send PDFs, documents, spreadsheets, slideshows and more, without
the hassle of email or file sharing apps. You can send documents up
to 100 MB, so it’s easy to get what you need over to who you want.

Comparative analysis

Comparison of whatsapp and Instagram

 When comparing Instagram vs WhatsApp, the Slant community

recommends WhatsApp for most people. In the question“What are the
best messaging apps for Android?” WhatsApp is ranked 8th while
Instagram is ranked 36th.

 The most important reason people chose WhatsApp is: WhatsApp

reported 1.5 billion users in 2018. Your friends are most likely
already using WhatsApp, so it’s easy to get setup.

 Though WhatsApp is a instant messaging apps,. Instagram is

completely different from whatsapp and allows user to share and
upload their photos and short video clips on the web. Moreover, it
also lets users follow their idols for tracking their movement on
the social media.

 WhatsApp has a broad user-base, from teens to adult to senior

citizens. Rolling over to Instagram, the client-base of this app
mostly consists of youths and middle-aged people who love to share
their personal memory of pictures and videos online.

 While both Instagram and WhatsApp are owned and operated by

Facebook.

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  Since 2010 January, WhatsApp has been around the social media,
while Instagram came to the floor on 2010 October.

 WhatsApp was created in 2009 by two former employees of Yahoo –

Brian Acton and Jan Koum. Later, Facebook bought this app.
Similarly, Instagram was created by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger,
and dispatch for public use in October 2010.

 Rolling over to the functionalities of both the apps, WhatsApp is a

proprietary, cross-platform, encrypted instant messaging client for
smartphones. It uses the Internet to send text messages, documents,
images, video, user location and audio messages to other users
using standard cellular mobile numbers.

 Moving over to the functionalities of both applications, WhatsApp

is a fashionable, cross-stage, instant messaging platform,
exclusively designed to run on Smartphones. Through the use of the
internet, WhatsApp allows users to send instant messages, archives,
pictures, video, locations and voice recordings to other users. The
complete system of WhatsApp runs on standard cellular mobile
numbers.

 Rolling over to Instagram, it is an online mobile photo and video

sharing platform that allows users to click pictures and videos,
and share them on their profile either publicly or privately on the
app. It also facilitates clients to make their photos and videos
publicize through a range of other social networking sites like
Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Flickr.

 If you genuinely consider the distinctive points of both the

apps,WhatsApp and Instagram are available on PC.

 While WhatsApp has recently updated its privacy policy with end-to-
end encryption for better and stronger security, Instagram lack
this facility.

 Though both of these apps allow individuals to share their pictures

and videos, rather than WhatsApp, Instagram allows their users to
send documents online.

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  Regarding network, WhatsApp rules over Instagram . WhatsApp has a
massive 600 million user base, while Instagram have 500 million
active user base.

Comparison of whatsapp with Facebook

 Facebook is a social networking site that allows users to connect to friends online.
Whatsapp is a multi-platform instant messaging application for smart phones.
Facebook is a website, whereas Whatsapp is an application that needs to be installed
on a phone.

 Facebook was founded in February 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg. It is a website that

enables a user to share photos, videos, posts, etc. Moreover, users can join
communities of common interest known as ‘Groups’. Facebook has Online Chat
feature that allows online users to chat. It further gives a ‘Like’ button which allows
users to like a particular photo, video or comment. It is another way for a user to
express that he/her likes, supports or enjoys a certain photo or comment.

 Facebook has a lot of branches like, ads, online games, video calls, recent updates of
friends, etc. It only requires an email id and an internet connection. A user can search
his/her friends on Facebook and add them into their ‘Friends List’. This is a very good
feature by which the user who has lost contact with others can connect with them on
Facebook. Facebook is a widely used website by over 1 billion active users.

 Whatsapp is an application that is used on smart phones by people to text each other
using internet service on their phones. To text over internet is known as instant
messaging. Whatsapp was founded in 2009 by Brian Acton and Jan Koum in
California. Whatsapp can be installed on a wide range of platforms. It is available on
Android, IOS, Symbian Series 40 and Series 60, BlackBerry OS, Blackberry 10 and
Windows Phone. It is available free of cost for one year and post that charges of $0.99
will be applied every year.

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  To use Whatsapp, users only need to install it to their phone. Whatsapp gets configured
on the user’s phone number rather than using any email id. When installed, Whatsapp
communicates to its main server and compares the contacts in user’s phone. It
automatically adds the people who are already using Whatsapp to the ‘Contact List’ of
the user. It is a faster way to send messages to people and that too free of cost.
Whatsapp also allows users to form a group and chat, known as ‘Group Chat’.
Moreover, it allows users to send photos, music, videos and contact details to other
users. Till August 6, 2013, Whatsapp had over 300 million active users and shared
over 325 million photos everyday.

 Whatsapp is a revolution for the instant messaging applications. Also, it is very

effective and user friendly. However, Facebook gives a complete social network
platform to people. Both are excellent at their platforms and do their best for service.

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