WhatsApp STOPS some users from sending links to THIS rival messaging app

WhatsApp has put a stop to users sending links to rival mobile messenger, Telegram

POPULAR messaging app WhatsApp is believed to be discouraging users from switching to one of its main competitors – Telegram – by blocking URLs to the rival messaging app.

WhatsApp is believed to be blocking links to one of its main competitors, Telegram.

The rival cross-platform messaging app gained popularity thanks to its focus on privacy and stability, following a number of WhatsApp outages.

Telegram boasts a number of features unavailable in WhatsApp, including the ability to set a self-destruct timer on messages and send any document type up to 1.5GB in size through the messenger.

The popular cross-platform app does not require a subscription fee, unlike WhatsApp which charges users 69p per year to use the service.

And now it appears links to the Telegram website, telegram.me or telegram.org, are being blocked on WhatsApp.
The new functionality is believed to have been pushed out in a silent update, version 2.12.367.
Links to Telegram still appear, but do not work as hyperlinks – leaving users to copy and paste the text from the message into their web browser of choice.
It's a cumbersome extra step and could discourage some users from checking out the rival app.

Telegram has a number of features unavailable in WhatsApp, including self-destructing messages

However the link-blocking does not appear to be universal in WhatsApp.
NewsNewsBlog.blogspot.com was unable to replicate the results in the iOS WhatsApp app, version 2.12.12.
Facebook, which bought WhatsApp last year for some $19billion, has previously used link-blocking in its Messenger app and social network to prevent users visiting torrent websites or rival services.

The WhatsApp link-blocking was first highlighted by Reddit users and has since been confirmed by Telegram.
“Typically after a media backlash, FB steps back and blames their intelligent filtering for the problem,” a spokesperson for Telegram told The Verge.
“We expect the same to happen this time as well.”
WhatsApp also appears to be extending users' complimentary first year subscription when the Android app detects Telegram has been installed.