Back in 2014, WhatsApp Plus, also known as the blue WhatsApp, was one of the most famous applications used by users of the world’s leading messaging app. It was possible to make the most of WhatsApp’s capabilities and even enjoy functions not available by default in the app.
But that an independent group of developers made WhatsApp an app even more complete than Facebook itself did not like the company. It ended up avoiding its use by blocking those accounts whose users had been caught using WhatsApp Plus.
Four years have passed since that time. What happened to WhatsApp Plus? Times have changed, and although Android continues to stand out above the rest of mobile platforms due to its customization capacity, WhatsApp Plus is one of the few tools that has not been able to find its place, and in recent years the app has remained in secret.
Even so, a simple Google search makes it very clear that user interest in WhatsApp Plus continues to be as high as four years ago or even longer. Now, is it still possible to download WhatsApp Plus for Android? And if so, what are the advantages and the dangers? We go over it.
Let’s start at the beginning: what is – or was – WhatsApp Plus.
It was the developer of Spanish origin Rafalense who, to make WhatsApp a better place, took the original app and began to modify it with additions, customization options, and various functions that thousands of users soon found useful, thus leaving behind side the official application to switch to this alternative. This is how WhatsApp Plus was born.
As time went by, functions such as the possibility of making complete backup copies of the app, modifying the quality of the multimedia content sent, and above all, modifying the appearance of the app with personalized themes continued to be added. It was this last function that created a huge community around WhatsApp Plus since anyone could create their own themes to customize the most used messaging application on the planet and share them with the rest.
Themes were the best valued feature by WhatsApp Plus users. Anyone could modify the appearance of the app to their liking, and create their own themes to share with others.
But 2015 arrived, and then WhatsApp began to block the accounts of those users who used WhatsApp Plus or any other alternative. Initially, suspensions were carried out temporarily, and users were left without access for 24 hours. Later, the permanent bans began. And although the developers of WhatsApp Plus tried to introduce tools with which to try to avoid the blocking of accounts, the pressure from the company, and the fear of users of losing their accounts, they ended up burying WhatsApp Plus, first with the departure of Rafalense, and finally with the arrival of other alternatives. In January 2015, WhatsApp Plus announced the definitive closure.
His journey did not end there, however. Over the years, developers and users with bad intentions have taken advantage of the fame of WhatsApp Plus to try to impersonate the famous app and thus deceive users to obtain sensitive data.
Be that as it may, today, some of the characteristics of WhatsApp Plus have been inherited by Plus Messenger, a Rafalense project that, like WhatsApp Plus at the time, is an alternative full of features and functions to Telegram, an application that, on the other hand, is much more benevolent to those independent developers who intend to improve the user experience.
GBWhatsApp and OGWhatsApp, the rebirth of WhatsApp Plus
After the “disappearance” –in quotes since APK files of the app still existed on the net– of WhatsApp Plus, other developers tried to emulate Rafalense’s steps by creating their own alternatives to the messaging app. Of all of them, only two stood out above the rest: OGWhatsApp and GBWhatsApp.
The first had a rather short life and was used mainly by those who needed two WhatsApp accounts on the same device. It also enabled support for themes, a higher character limit in states, and much more. Today, the developer, OGMods, focuses on developing alternatives to applications such as YouTube or Instagram.
On the other hand, GBWhatsApp may be the app that has best maintained the essence of WhatsApp Plus. Today it can still be downloaded and used – always keeping in mind that WhatsApp could block the account of those who do so – and the team in charge of its development remains at the foot of the canyon, adding functionalities and trying to go unnoticed by the Facebook radar. All the features of the app, as well as the new versions of the app, are frequently published on the official Telegram channel of the application, which today has more than 5,500 members.
Is it worth using WhatsApp Plus or any of its alternatives? Can they ban us?
In the past, probably yes. Today, not so much. WhatsApp is no longer the extremely simple application that it was a few years ago. Although some of the latest built-in functions are not exactly what users have been asking for for years – see statuses or stickers – the Facebook platform has almost everything. Anyone might need to communicate with loved ones, friends, and family.
We indeed find some advantages in using alternatives such as WhatsApp Plus, among them the infinite customization and modification options of the app or the new features that may never reach the original app. But we must also take into account the disadvantages, and that is that at any time, WhatsApp could block our account, preventing us from using the application again with the phone number associated with our profile, as indicated in the official support center of WhatsApp.
If you use WhatsApp Plus or any of its alternatives, you run the risk of WhatsApp blocking your account permanently.
Therefore, if you want to remain calm and don’t mind using WhatsApp the way Facebook wants you to, your best option is to download WhatsApp like the millions of users who use the app every day. If, on the other hand, you are aware of the risks and dangers involved in using an unofficial alternative app, and you also miss the era of WhatsApp Plus and all its features, GBWhatsApp is your only option… while it lasts.
Sharlene Meriel is an avid gamer with a knack for technology. He has been writing about the latest technologies for the past 5 years. His contribution in technology journalism has been noteworthy. He is also a day trader with interest in the Forex market.
