We know a lot about WhatsApp. So much so that it often tires us, and changing its interface or adding new features are interesting incentives. This is where some well-known MODs like WhatsApp Plus or GBWhatsApp come in. These they offer additional functions, but without being free from risks for our accounts.
We will see below what exactly these modified versions of WhatsApp are, paying particular attention to the main problems that can cause. This way, you will be able to understand why we recommend you to only use the official WhatsApp application and not its MODs.
What are WhatsApp MODs for?
As the name “MOD” already suggests, these are modified versions from whatsapp. In them, different elements are provided that make us find different options for the official WhatsApp application. These MODs, although traditionally found on Google Play, can now only be downloaded from the browser via their APK.
Among the options that add especially the visuals. For example, different icon packs or the possibility of almost completely customizing the theme of the interface, being able to add color palettes of all kinds that are not found in the official application.
This is what customization looks like in WhatsApp Plus
There are also other interesting elements such as the privacy options that the normal app does not have. Take for example the possibility of hiding when we are online, an option that had not been seen in WhatsApp for years until recently and which was precisely one of the star features of MODs. Other examples are in the ability to add passwords only for certain chats.
In short, we find options that traditionally were not included in WhatsApp or were very limited. Although it must be said that already in the middle of 2022 these types of additional options are increasingly losing interest at the same time as WhatsApp itself adds them to its official Google Play app.
WhatsApp can ban you if you use any MOD
As you probably already imagined, not everything is as pleasant as installing a MOD and using it freely. WhatsApp does not allow this type of application
And while it’s true that we can spend weeks, months, and even years using the app without any issues, it’s ultimately a lottery. And that’s it, the risk of prohibition is always present and this could leave us without the possibility of using the application, at least for a few days. A permanent ban may also be an option, especially when you are a repeat offender.
MODs can also steal your personal data
The fact that WhatsApp and Facebook are owned by the same company, Meta, and they haven’t exactly been called privacy champions is a compelling reason why someone may decide not to use the official app. . However, MODs can also involve the sale of data to third parties
And while this data marketing is reflected in the MOD’s Terms of Service, the truth is that it too may contain malware and even be the perfect target for data theft. We found the best example very recently, since the theft of more than a million WhatsApp accounts that were precisely linked to applications acting as MODs was reported.
We ran an antivirus through the APKs of some WhatsApp MODs and there are surprises…
As proof of all this, we have resorted to VirusTotal, a simple online tool in which it is enough to download the files so that it analyzes them according to different antiviruses. We tested the WhatsApp Plus, WhatsApp Aero, GBWhatsApp and FMWhatsApp MODs so that it would tell us if it had a virus and, indeed, detects some Trojans there.
Malware detected in WhatsApp Plus
Malware detected in WhatsApp Aero
Malware detected in GBWhatsApp
Malware detected in FMWhatsApp
Therefore, in accordance with this indication that we have shown and at the risk of banning the account, the use of WhatsApp MODs is strongly discouraged. Therefore, whenever you do so, you should do so at your own risk and knowing that the developers of the official application will not be responsible for any consequences.
