WhatsApp privacy policy: It won't limit functionality even if you don't accept it

Earlier this month, Facebook-owned WhatsApp said users would lose functionality over time if they didn't accept its new privacy policy by May 15th. Now Facebook says that plan has changed in a reversal, and users who don't accept the updated policy actually won't see limited functionality.

"Given recent discussions with various authorities and privacy experts, we want to make clear that we will not limit the functionality of how WhatsApp works for those who have not yet accepted the update," a WhatsApp spokesperson said in a statement to The Verge. WhatsApp tells The Verge that this is the plan moving forward indefinitely.

The policy's rollout has been a confusing mess and raised concerns that WhatsApp would share more users' data with Facebook. (Some WhatsApp user data, such as users' phone numbers, is already shared with Facebook, a policy that went into place in 2016.) WhatsApp has stressed this is not the case, though — the policy update is regarding messages sent to businesses via WhatsApp, which may be stored on Facebook's servers.

The majority of users who saw the new policy have accepted, the company says in a support article. However, this article also notes that you'll get reminded about the new policy if you haven't received it, and that's still the case now, WhatsApp said in its statement.

"We will continue to remind users from time to time and let them accept the update, including when they choose to use relevant optional features like communicating with a business that is receiving support from Facebook," WhatsApp said. "We hope this approach reinforces the choice that all users have whether or not they want to interact with a business."

Despite being less than a year old, DJI is updating its popular Mavic Air 2 drone and is releasing the Mavic Air 2S. A drone with a new 1-inch sensor can shoot 5.4K video and 4K video up to 60FPS.