WhatsApp is testing a new function that will allow you to share the mobile screen during a video call. In this way, the messaging app incorporates one of the most used tools on platforms such as Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams. Although it is not yet available to everyone.
As reported WABetaInfoa small group of testers of the beta of WhatsApp for Android has begun to see this new option. It appears in the bottom bar when making a video call, with an icon of a phone with an arrow that comes out of its screen.
It is not yet known when it will be available to all users of the application, but that it is already being tested may mean that its final release is not too far away. For now, the function has begun to appear in version 2.23.11.19 of the WhatsApp beta for Google’s mobile operating system.
Details are scant so far. The aforementioned medium indicates that, once the corresponding terms are accepted, everything that appears on the screen will be shown to the receiver. So far, the implementation of this feature seems quite simplistic, so it is not yet known if certain privacy options will be configurable. For example, that notifications of incoming messages or emails are not displayed, or that the taking of screenshots.
Another issue that is not very clear is whether when sharing the mobile screen from WhatsApp, everything will be automatically recorded. Nor is it possible to choose whether or not to record the presentation. The bigger question though is how this feature might affect the app’s end-to-end encryption..
In the screenshot of WABetaInfo a warning message can be seen when launching the screen sharing option. “WhatsApp will have access to all the information visible on your screen or played from the device while recording or broadcasting. This includes data such as passwords, payment information, photos, messages, and the audio you play,” he says.
Put that way, it sounds truly alarming. Of course there are still many things unknown about the implementation of this tool, but its effect on privacy is the main question to be resolved. If the screen is shared in a video call with end-to-end encryption, where WhatsApp claims that it cannot see the content of the conversations, how could I access the content in question? If what is shown on the screen is recorded, is it saved locally or on third-party servers?
It remains to be seen what responses WhatsApp gives to this, but it is clear that its developers seek to expand its use to work or academic environments, where other platforms today are preferred. At the moment, everything indicates that the option is being tested only on Android, and there are no clues about when it could be presented on iOS.
Those who have already tested the feature indicate that it may not work correctly in different scenarios. Especially when the video calls are in very large groups, or when the members of a conversation do not use the same version of the app. We will be attentive to more news on the subject.