WhatsApp has blacklisted rivalling chat app Telegram - can't share, copy or link Telegram URLs

The popular, Facebook owned, chat application WhatsApp blocks links to its less popular competitor Telegram. Reddit users found that when typing the Telegram website, the text isn't automatically converted to a link which is would be normal behavior for WhatsApp.

B5ISWZw

ADVERTISEMENT

Every sentence that includes the word 'telegram' followed by a '.' and at least two characters (e.g. telegram.org) isn't automatically linked by the popular chat app. The behavior appears to have started since a Whatsapp version that was released on the 24th of November. In earlier versions Telegram URLs were automatically linked, just like any other URL.

Users also report that Telegram URLs also can't  be shared or copied. Also this is behavior that isn't inline with how WhatsApp usually works. It appears WhatsApp has blacklisted Telegram but it's unclear for what reason.

Telegram is a chat app founded by two Russian internet entrepreneurs which also started the 'Facebook of Russia', vKontakte. The app has been a lot in the news recently because it was allegedly used by ISIS terrorists to communicate. Because the app uses end-to-end encryption it's thought to be fairly secure for private communication, which also terrorists found out.

ADVERTISEMENT

The app claims to have 60 million active monthly users and is available for Android, iOS, Windows Phone,  PC, Mac, Linux and there is a web based version.

No posts to display