Whatsapp question

[Blue Hills]

In case anyone thinks me bizarre in asking about the holy of holies, should stress that i am no technophobe _ was using mobile data before public internet and the smartphone, even widespread use of dumbphone.

Here goes.

Neighbours have for a while had a whatsapp grroup
I installed the thing ages ago for a while but registered using a dumbphone number rather than that of my smartphone.

Which i think works fine??

Full activation seems to try, Bloody cheekily (family friendly term) to try to insist on me giving it access to all my contacts.

Can i use the core functions, including group chat, without granting this permission?

Sorry to trouble you - i could of course google things but some of the info looks historic and i know these apps are continuously changing their terms/permission demands.

 

[sleuthey]

As far as I’m aware your giving the app permission to access your contacts and not the people you message.

call it cheeky if you wish but I don’t see any point in having it if it can’t access your contacts

 

[Blue Hills]

call it cheeky if you wish but I don’t see any point in having it if it can’t access your contacts

I only want to contact a very limited number of people, not everyone i have ever known/long forgotten.

 

[Electric_Andy]

No, it's a "free" App which means you pay for it not with money but by providing it access to all your contacts and all your conversations. You can delete all conversations after you've read replies but the data has still been sent to WhattsApp servers or whatever. it should only access people in your phone directory AFAIK, so if these people are long forgotten then can't ou delete them from your phone book?

 

[Blue Hills]

No, it's a "free" App which means you pay for it not with money but by providing it access to all your contacts and all your conversations. You can delete all conversations after you've read replies but the data has still been sent to WhattsApp servers or whatever. it should only access people in your phone directory AFAIK, so if these people are long forgotten then can't ou delete them from your phone book?

It's Currently on an android device with no sim. Not used for phone calls as such. Can you clarify which "contact book" it accesses?
had the idea in my head that if i invite someone by email it sucks up the email contacts?
its faqs don't inspire confidence.
terms seem to say it doesn't pass on info.
but can pass To others in fb group, which to me is potentially the planet and any yet to be discovered.
and in any case i wouldn't trust a bunch of +++ hot lawyers as far as i could ++ on them. Hence want to retain control.

 

[mistyoptic]

As I understand it, it asks for access to your contacts so it can tell/show you which of your contacts also use WhatsApp. I've never seen anything sinister in that, perhaps I'm more naive than I thought (or perhaps you're paranoid )

 

[Blue Hills]

As I understand it, it asks for access to your contacts so it can tell/show you which of your contacts also use WhatsApp. I've never seen anything sinister in that, perhaps I'm more naive than I thought (or perhaps you're paranoid )

Don"t see myself as paranoid misty
Just careful.
Don't trust fb.
Never did before the revelations.
Many did trust them.
Also a matter of principles
I think fb spells that principals.

Am sure they have excellent lawyers.

 

[Cycleops]

You can block people in WhatsApp from contacting you from the menu at the top of the app or from your contact list. You can also tweak the privacy settings too.

 

[tom73]

No FB want all your info that's how it works it's not free your data is what they want and that's the cost you pay.
It's why I don't us it.
New users now have no choice but to sign up to FB too as it only works for for them via FB user names.

 

[Blue Hills]

You can block people in WhatsApp from contacting you from the menu at the top of the app or from your contact list. You can also tweak the privacy settings too.

it's not other folk contacting me I'm concerned about cyclops.

 

[Jody]

It's Currently on an android device with no sim. Not used for phone calls as such.

In that case stick a couple of numbers of people who you are dealing with into your phone and grant permission.

 

[Blue Hills]

In that case stick a couple of numbers of people who you are dealing with into your phone and grant permission.

had an idea I might be able to do that and that i would just be limited to the phone numbers appearing onscreen - no names.
But does it grab all contacts? email addresses from whatever email apps are installed etc?

 

[Jody]

had an idea I might be able to do that and that i would just be limited to the phone numbers appearing onscreen - no names. But does it grab all contacts? email addresses from whatever email apps are installed etc?

Could be wrong but I don't think they are allowed to harvest other data from your phone as you have only granted them permission to your contact list.

Clear everything it you are worried so you can use it as a bare bones phone just for Whatsapp.

 

[mistyoptic]

It's Currently on an android device with no sim. Not used for phone calls as such. Can you clarify which "contact book" it accesses?

I think you’ll find, if there’s no SIM in the phone, that WhatsApp won’t work anyway. Can’t use it on my iPad which has no SIM

 

[Jody]

I think you’ll find, if there’s no SIM in the phone, that WhatsApp won’t work anyway. Can’t use it on my iPad which has no SIM

You can use Whatsapp on a device without a sim

https://www.techbout.com/whatsapp-without-phone-number-sim-5365/