With billions of people unable to see their friends and family in person due to COVID-19, people are relying on WhatsApp more than ever to communicate. People are talking to doctors, teachers, and isolated loved ones via WhatsApp during this crisis. That’s why all your messages and calls on WhatsApp are end-to-end encrypted by default to give you a secure place for your most personal conversations.
Last year WhatsApp introduced users to the concept of messages that have been forwarded many times. These messages are labeled with double arrows to indicate they did not originate from a close contact. In effect, these messages are less personal compared to typical messages sent on WhatsApp.
As per a blog by WhatsApp, it is now introducing a limit so that the messages can only be forwarded to one chat at a time.As a private messaging service, WhatsAPP has taken several steps over the years to help keep conversations intimate. For example, WhatsApp previously set limits on forwarded messages to constrain virality, which led to a 25% decrease in message forwards globally at the time.
Is all forwarding bad?Certainly not. We know many users forward helpful information, as well as funny videos, memes, and reflections or prayers they find meaningful. In recent weeks, people have also used WhatsApp to organize public moments of support for frontline health workers.