Speaking about risks which may come with the FM WhatsApp download, several factors come into play. The most prominent could be malware or spyware. FM WhatsApp is a third-party app, and hence, this does not pass through the same kind of safety checks as official apps on the Google Play Store. According to the report presented by Kaspersky, a cybersecurity company, around 12% of APK files from third-party sources carry malware that can compromise security and privacy in your device. The risk it exposes lets personal data be stolen, an issue that has been haunting modified app users.
The other risk is an account ban. WhatsApp, the mother app of FM WhatsApp, usually bans accounts that employ its modified apps. As far back as 2020, WhatsApp had banned upwards of 2 million accounts in a month due to users using unauthorized apps, of which FM WhatsApp would more than likely be one. Some get away with this by changing phone numbers, but it should be considered that there is a prevailing risk of permanent bans.
The user of FM WhatsApp is also concerned with privacy, as this application is supported unofficially, and little transparency exists regarding data collection. Lack of official support is the leading concern for the users, who might be unwittingly sharing data with developers who may not share the same standards of data privacy as WhatsApp does. A scan by the Electronic Frontier Foundation showed that around 30% of modified apps failed to meet the necessary security standards, which make personal conversations susceptible to exploitation.
From a technical standpoint, this could lead to crashes or instability of the application. Since FM WhatsApp is an application that doesn't get direct updates just like WhatsApp, they are more vulnerable to bugs or performance problems that may affect user experience. According to findings by Android Police, over 15% of users have undergone crashes and other technical glitches in using third-party applications like FM WhatsApp; frustrating because it can interfere with day-to-day communications.
As said by a tech entrepreneur, Elon Musk: "With great risk comes great reward." While FM WhatsApp does provide quite a number of features and customizations, its associated risks in download and usage are not to be belittled.
