With billions of daily users,WhatsAppis the default messaging app for personal chats in a lot of international markets. That kind of omnipresence also often makes it a target of blockages and government censorship tactics. To counter such restrictions, WhatsApptook a page out of Telegram’s bookand allowed its users to connect to a proxy serverstarting earlier this year. Now, WhatsApp is working on bringing a couple of advanced settings to its existing proxy options.
A proxy server basically sits between your device and WhatsApp’s servers to hide that you’re trying to use WhatsApp, thereby circumventing any blockages, similar to how a VPN works. WhatsApp currently lets you connect to a proxy server by entering its IP address, but according toWABetaInfo, the app is adding some additional port configurations to give you some extra control.
Source:WABetaInfo
Spotted in a recent beta version of WhatsApp, there are new options to add separate proxy ports for chats and media files to split their connection channels. This should prevent any conflicts with other applications or firewall rules of the server provider, consideringWhatsApp relies on volunteersand organizers to provide proxy servers for its users.
The report further notes that some beta testers are able to share their proxy settings with their contacts, while others see the option to enable TLS (transport layer security) when connected to a proxy server. TLS is a widely used security protocol for internet communications, which you’re able to often spot in your email messages.
Since the feature is currently in beta, there is no firm timeline on how soon it will make it to the final release. While these advanced port settings aren’t available just yet, you can still use a proxy server to connect to WhatsApp if you’re facing any restrictions. You willfind the option to add a proxy serverunderStorage and datain WhatsApp’s settings.
WhatsApp suggests connecting to a proxy server only if your access is blocked in some way (and no, WhatsApp outages don’t count). That’s because the server provider can still see your device’s IP address, even though your WhatsApp messages remain end-to-end encrypted.
