WhatsApp is one of the most popular apps in this country. Messenger is almost never missing on a smartphone. Ultimately, WhatsApp even has SMS on its conscience. In recent years, especially since Messenger belongs to Facebook, more and more users have been doing without the app. Most of the time they end up with alternatives like Telegram or Signal. The reasons are varied, but mainly data protection concerns. Time and time again, Facebook hits the headlines with data scandals. And half a billion mobile phone numbers have now been stolen from WhatsApp and are for sale.
Messenger knows you even when you’re not using it
But even if you don’t use WhatsApp or have canceled your account, the app knows more about you than you realize or appreciate. Then it is quite enough for one of your friends, relatives or acquaintances to use the messenger. Because that person then gave the app access to their contacts and photo album. This means that the app searches your contact’s address book and, even if you don’t use WhatsApp, it scans your data there.
→ Blue tick on WhatsApp: how to trick it
Now it doesn’t always have to be just the phone number that WhatsApp is looking for. Finally, you can add further details to a contact in your digital address book, such as an email address, profile photo, birthday, website, Twitter profile and even address and entire call history.
This is what WhatsApp knows about you
If you use WhatsApp, you need to give the app extended permissions for it to work properly. Among other things, the messenger can access this data:
- SMS received and sent
- Location – Messenger knows practically where you are
- Call lists, i.e. all incoming and outgoing calls
- WhatsApp knows when and with whom you are calling and learns the mobile phone number of the called person
- Photos and Videos: WhatsApp can use your smartphone camera without your confirmation as long as you use the app
- WhatsApp can search your address book
- Microphone: The app can record audio through your phone’s microphones, even without your knowledge, as long as you use the app
- Read storage: WhatsApp can not only read data on a microSD card, but also modify or delete it
- Messenger knows what other apps you have installed on your phone
View all permissions
Messenger requires much more rights. We have listed only 9 of the 40+ permissions. If you want to know exactly what other rights WhatsApp has, you have to press and hold the app icon until a small window opens. Then tap “App Details” or an “i” for info (depending on your smartphone model and UI). You will then receive information about the app on WhatsApp. Under “Permissions” you now have a rough overview of the access you grant to the app. If you now tap on the three dots at the top right, you can view “All Permissions”.
