What is WhatsApp and how do you use it? I will firstly explain what app is before I go into how to use the service. “WhatsApp” is the name of the program that allows you to make and receive text messages from your desktop computer using your cellphone. The device itself is nothing more than a Blackberry or iPhone that has been adapted as a cell phone. Many people are using this service to stay connected with their friends and business partners while on the go.

One of the similarities between Whatsapp and encryption is that they both allow users to send and receive text messages in the same application. The big differences however are that encryption has the ability to do pretty much anything that a standard program can while Whatsapp only allows you to send and receive text messages. This difference however could be what makes the service so popular, there just seems to be so many similarities between Whatsapp and encryption that it wouldn’t be surprising if most businesses had switched over. So lets take a look at Whatsapp and encryption and compare the similarities and differences.

One similarity is that both services are used widely. Whatsapp works the same as most other instant messaging services, with the exception of allowing users to create groups and send and receive messages from their own devices. Unlike most other IM’s the messages sent through Whatsapp do not appear on the phone. This means that users can use the application to send a message from their smartphone, but someone else might be reading it on their phone. These similarities lead me to believe that Whatsapp could very well replace encryption, though I’m not sure how far we can take the technology.