Latest WhatsApp update shows Meta just came to WhatsApp, WABetaInfo says

Facebook just effected a major change. In a move that is similar to Google announcing Alphabet as its parent company, Facebook announced Facebook Inc name has been changed. It means that all the apps, services and devices, which were independent working businesses till now, are subsidiaries of Meta. This means Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Oculus, Facebook Messenger and more are now a part of Meta. “Meta’s focus will be to bring the metaverse to life and help people connect, find communities and grow businesses,” Facebook said in a post announcing this change. In line with this change, Meta is now changing the in-app branding within its family of apps.

WABetaInfo reports that Meta has started reflecting this change beginning with WhatsApp. The blog site said that ‘WhatsApp from Meta’ tag has started showing up in the latest WhatsApp update. iPhone users who are using WhatsApp beta for iOS version 2.21.220.14 can see this change on the login page and in the footer in the Settings menu of WhatsApp’s iOS-based app.

The update is not available for WhatsApp’s Android users yet. But given the fact that WhatsApp has started testing the change in its iOS beta app, a similar update should be available within WhatsApp’s Android-based app as well.

It is worth noting that this is not the first time that Facebook -- now Meta -- is changing the in-app branding within its family of apps. To recall, the tech giant had first introduced in-app branding within WhatsApp back in 2019. At the time, the company had introduced ‘WhatsApp from Facebook’ branding within WhatsApp at the time. Later, the company introduced a similar change in Instagram as well. The move came at a time when there was a lot of buzz around legislation in the US that could force big tech companies to break up into smaller independent companies in order for smaller platforms to thrive at the time of cut throat competition in the tech market. At the time, the in-app branding came as Facebook’s way of emphasizing on the fact that WhatsApp, and Instagram -- both of which were acquired by Facebook in the past decade -- were its subsidiaries. Now, it is doing the same with Meta.