Warning for millions of Android and iPhone owners – your texts could be read by strangers

MILLIONS of iPhone and Android owners should be on high-alert for WhatsApp “clones”.

Make sure you’re using the correct app – or you could be in serious cyber danger.

Some of your most personal conversations will happen on WhatsApp.

But it’s possible that when you downloaded the app, you didn’t install the real WhatsApp.

Similarly, you might have installed a “clone” on purpose to enjoy bonus features.

Now WhatsApp is warning against these rogue apps.

“Unofficial Whatsapp apps are altered versions of our app, which means they’re developed by third-parties and violate our Terms of Service,” WhatsApp warned

“We don’t support these apps because they put your privacy, security, and safety at risk.

“If you use them, there’s no guarantee your messages or your data like your location or the files you share will be private and secure.”

It’s impossible to guarantee that your messages are safe when using a fake version of WhatsApp.

And you’re breaking WhatsApp terms of service, which could lead to you being banned from the app.

You might be using a fake version of WhatsApp on iPhone or Android.

Thankfully, Google does warn users if you’re downloading a fraudulent WhatsApp app.

“If you’ve received this Play Protect Warning from Google, you’re likely using an unauthorized and unofficial version of WhatsApp,” WhatsApp explained.

“Due to security concerns, Google may disable and uninstall these applications.”

However, don’t rely on this system.

You can follow these links to find the official store pages for WhatsApp:

• WhatsApp on iPhone – 
• WhatsApp on Android – 

Try WhatsApp beta instead

If you want extra features, a legitimate route is to try the WhatsApp beta.

WhatsApp is constantly designing new features for the app.

Before they go live on the general version of WhatsApp, these changes are tested in a “beta” version of the app.

This is a special WhatsApp that you sign up to, allowing you to trial new features first.

It’s free to join, and will give you instant access to secret features that other people can’t access.

To download WhatsApp beta for your smartphone you need to go to Google Play on your Android and search for WhatsApp.

Scroll down the page until you see “Become a Beta Tester”.

Tap the “I’m In” button and then click “Join” to confirm.

Now all you have to do is wait for the update to the beta version of the app.

Joining the WhatsApp beta on iPhone is more difficult, and has limited capacity.

Follow the official Apple guide .

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