WhatsApp has started to temporarily ban users of WhatsApp+ (WhatsApp Plus) and WhatsappMD, apps from third parties with a different interface and extended functionality. The bans appear to last 24 hours and installation of the official app doesn't lift the ban.
Usage of third-party apps is now allowed according to the terms of Whatsapp and the service has started to uphold the rules by banning users. According to a post on the WhatsApp website, usage of the third-party app has privacy and security concerns. At least users of WhatsApp+ and WhatsappMD are banned for 24 hours from the messaging network.
The administrator of WhatsApp Plus confirms that users can't lift the ban by installing the official client. He recommends users that haven't been banned yet to remove WhatsApp+ and to use the official WhatsApp application. In a Google Plus post he states to be looking for a solution.
It's unknown how popular the affected applications are, but WhatsApps Plus is listed with more than 13 million downloads on a popular German download website. The WhatsApp+ Google Plus community has more than 700,000 members.
The news about the ban follows our news of yesterday in which Facebook announced it's investigating revenue models for its messaging service.
Update: Mounib Al Rifai, a developer of WhatsApp+ reports he received a cease and desist letter from WhatsApp and is obligated to remove all download links and unfortunately delete his Google+ Community
