Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Engineering & Emerging Technologies (ICEET), Superior
University, Lahore, PK, 7-8 April, 2016
Concurrent Approach of Forwarding Messages Using WhatsApp
Farhan Ali Surahio, Javed Ahmed Mahar, Awais Khan Jumani
Department of Computer Science, Shah Abdul Latif University, Khairpur Mirs Pakistan
farhan_surahio@yahoo.com, mahar.javed@gmail.com, awaisjumani@yahoo.com
Abstract—Social networks have been playing an important
role to connect collaboratively, to share information and
advertisements using smart phones. The popular social networks
are Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp and Linkedin. Most of the
users use WhatsApp as an instant message application for
sending text messages, images, videos and audios by cellular
mobile numbers. Furthermore, it enables users to create groups
and share required information instantly. It provides to use
broadcast list feature to create a list of recipients for forwarding
the messages simultaneously. It has been observed that users
faces ambiguity when they do not want to forward messages to
particular user(s) among the list of created recipients. In this
paper, web application is presented and described using batch
process mechanism that consists of check group list box, list box
and send button. The user can forward message concurrently to
the selected recipients from the broadcast list by using the web
application. The calculated results showed that the images,
audios and videos are sent in smallest amount of time. The
developed Web application may helpful for smart phone users.
Keywords--Group Chat, Broadcast List, Social Networks,
WhatsApp, Smart Phones
I. INTRODUCTION
WhatsApp is a popular instant messaging application which
connects friends together for sharing information, sending
images, video, and free text messages instantly. It uses the
internet to accomplish these tasks. Several instant message
applications services were launched such as, Line, Viber,
Webchat but WhatsApp is giving much friendly user interface
environment rather than others and more than 500 million users
and more than 20 billion messages sent per day in 2014[1].
The main purpose behind this application is to replace SMS
with cross-platform mobile messenger that works on internet
data plan. If you have unlimited text, it is still fruitful as it is an
easy and convenient way to skip international fees that carriers
may charge. It is currently available for Iphone, Android,
Windows Phone, blackberry etc. It is easy to get started, simply
enter standard cellular mobile number of the device into the
app. It then sorts through the contacts with user authentication
on the phone to find out who else received. A person can begin
and develop strong business partnership in any part of the
world without meeting that individual in person.
WhatsApp has introduced recently a new feature named
“Starred messages” it holds on any message in any chat to star
it, so user can easily find it later. With the help of conversation
attachment options, users can insert their location, GPS must
be enabling before share location. These options consist on
gallery, photo, video, audio, location and contacts. Users can
send their images using gallery, which retrieve photos, videos
from internal, external memory or it capture photo directly
from camera. Hold to record or release to send button provides
user to send voice directly to recipients. Group chat and
broadcast list is also robust feature used for discussion and
exchange information at the same time.
II. GROUP CHAT
Group chat is a feature of WhatsApp mostly used for
discussion and exchange information. Users create a list of
recipients for sharing data with each other and anyone who
becomes a member of created chat group can see all the
messages. A person who invites to join chat group is called
“Group Admin” and it has right to add participants or remove
them. It has also authority to control own participant by staying
in or leaving the group when you wish. Only admin can make
other participant admin. If the last admin left the group, a new
admin randomly assigned. Users who do not join it just tap and
hold on icon and choose exit group. It lets you chat with up to
256 people at once.
In addition to this, user may create unlimited number of
groups. If the contact of user is blocked then he can
continuously receive messages sent by that group. If someone
does not want to keep chat message into Inbox, Archive is
another option available to hide it from until the next time user
chat with that person, while deleting a conversation
permanently removes the message history from inbox. All
conversation facilities are available for users to share
information and discuss about daily activities except, it does
not provide a facility to forward any multimedia message to
specific recipient, hence, broadcast list is created.
III. BROADCAST LIST
Broadcast List is a way to send images, videos, audios and text
messages to several friends at once. It allows creating a group
of recipients contact list and sharing information with them
instantaneously. It is similar like group chat but different in
functioning. Group chat considers as carbon copy in e-mail,
when individual receives a message recipient knows who else
receive the message.
In broadcast message like a regular message directly in the
individual chat. Recipients also do not know who else received
the message and do not know that it was sent as part of a
broadcast list. When they respond, they only respond to you
individually, in this sense, it works like the blind carbon copy.
In order for specific contacts to receive your broadcast
message, they must have users phone number saved in their
contact directory. This allows users to control from whom they
wish to receive broadcast message. Broadcast created
recipients list can be modify for adding more contacts,
changing broadcast list name or remove recipient. Check to
make sure they have added your number to their contact
directory. It is one-to-many communication “Fig.1” illustrates
while choosing broadcast list option.
 Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Engineering & Emerging Technologies (ICEET), Superior
University, Lahore, PK, 7-8 April, 2016

Fig.2. While user selecting recipients

Fig.1. Creating new Broadcast List

In “Fig.1” shows a list of option and new broadcast is

highlighted with red border. By choosing this option, User will
select recipients for forwarding multimedia or text based
messages simultaneously. “Fig.2.” illustrates while user create
a broadcast list with selected recipients from contact list.

When users don’t want to share an image, video, audio or a

plain text message to a specific recipient among the created
list for instance, Fig.2 represents four recipients consider as
R1, R2, R3 and R4. “R” refers Recipients. When user wants to
send an image only R1 and R2, but same image also sent to
R3 and R4, because these two recipients are also part of
created broadcast list. Likewise, user will hopeless to create
another broadcast list for those recipients who will receive
messages or it will delete R3 and R4 from broadcast list. This
is time consuming process for users to create broadcast list
again and again for sending images or videos to a selected
recipients among created broadcast list. Fig.3. shows four
added recipients, now user can insert a multimedia or plain
text message and send it directly to recipients using
attachment option. But, problem is occurs once broadcast list
has created with favorite names, user can easily send
multimedia or plain text messages to several recipients at Fig.3. Added four recipients
once. “Fig.3” shows recipients image in which recipients have
added into broadcast list. As the privacy of messages is mainly focused, hence, Andrew
[1] has worked on Privacy implications of presence
IV. RELATED WORK information aims to enhance social interaction between sender
and receipt, for deciding when to send a message. Kavisna
Lot of work has been done and published in the literature
Duggal has discussed on WhatsApp group chat privacy
regarding the various software applications run on smart
concern among the application users [4]. Priya [5] proposed a
phones. Nowadays, research has given ideas from different
methodology to provide instant Messaging Service over the
aspects of WhatsApp on the privacy of sent messages. Some
intranet which is addressed to android based smart phone. The
researchers were neither encouraged nor compressed
proposed method is based on sending/receiving messages in
WhatsApp Messages and recommended that data sent and
intranet through intranet server via WiFi connection without
received in plain text [2]. On the other hand Kumari [3] has
the need of taking any service from mobile service provider
given some suggestion regarding WhatsApp from the users
and without the use of internet connection.
that they want video calls and privacy.
 Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Engineering & Emerging Technologies (ICEET), Superior
University, Lahore, PK, 7-8 April, 2016
Moreover, Dan Bouhnik [6] discussed that WhatsApp groups
are used for four main purposes: communicating with
students; nurturing the social atmosphere; creating dialogue
and encouraging sharing among students; and as a learning
platform. The participants mentioned the technical advantages
of WhatsApp, such as simple operation, low cost, availability,
and immediacy. They also referred to educational advantages,
such as the creation of a pleasant environment and an in-depth
acquaintance with fellow students, which had a positive
influence upon the manner of conversation. Jason Wiese [7]
has found that frequent or long-duration communication likely
indicates a strong tie. However, little or no communication
does not necessarily indicate a weak tie. Follow-up interviews
revealed several explanations and indicate fundamental
challenges for inferring tie strength from communication logs.
Furthermore, the problem that is addressed in this paper is one
step forward in the betterment of sending different types of
messages using WhatsApp.
V. PROPOSED MECHANISM
The Batch Processing (BP) approach is mainly focused in the
proposed mechanism, the BP is an integrated development
environment that is based on Graphical User Interface which
consists of three Objects for command & control i.e. Check
Box Group List, List Box and Send Button.
A. Check Box Group List
Once a user tab and hold on any image, WhatsApp forward
button will enable “Fig.4.” displays an image while appearing
standard forward button. Check Box Group List enables user
to select specific recipient from contact list with check or
uncheck process. It only helps to move these recipients contact
number to List Box. “Fig.6.” illustrates a process of selecting
recipients using through Check Box List.
Fig.4. Forward Button highlighted in a circle
B. List Box
When a user select a recipient one by one with help of
Check Box List, List box will add those recipients and it
makes a batch and it places into a Queue. It keeps recipients
contact number in a sequence wise.
C. Send Button
It is used to send selected message based on image, video,
audio to recipient at the same time.
The aim of this research is to provide a complete procedure
through which user can send messages to the selected users
from the broadcast list of recipients. The “Fig.5.” shows
Graphical User Interface of our designed Batch Process
system which displays recipient contact list with Check Box
Group for selecting specific recipients rather than create
broadcast list. The “Fig.5.” shows an image containing Check
List Box which helps to user select specific user between
recipients list and a list box represents a recipient contact
numbers into a queue which is encircled in red border. Beside,
a batch queue, send button is available to perform an action of
sending an image simentenously to reciver which is tabe and
hold in “Fig.4”. Once a user press on send button it process
and send to specific users at the same time. There is no need to
generate any broadcast list. This process requires an internet
connection to take recipient numbers from queue and send
from source to different destinations.
The whole images sending procedure which is mentioned
above is based on the batch process technique. Flow chart of a
presented mechanism is depicted in “Fig.6.” which represents
steps of forwarding multimedia or plain text based messages.
When a user tab and hold on any message, WhatsApp option
bar appears, where forward button is placed, which is
encircled on above “Fig.4.”, batch process decides either list
have numbers or not, if it found, then it fetches the recipient
contact numbers from list and keep place on a batch queue for
process in a sequence manner. Finally, use of send button it
will send tabbed message to selected specific recipients among
the WhatsApp contact tab.
Fig.5. User selecting specific recipients
 Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Engineering & Emerging Technologies (ICEET), Superior
University, Lahore, PK, 7-8 April, 2016

different number of recipients. The results of three recipients

are shown in Table 3. Furthermore, it is observed that images
have sent quickly as compared to audios and videos because it
depends on the capturing device as mentioned in “Table.3.”
but it can be change according to sender decision.

Table 3. Result Testing with three Recipients

Recipients File Type Duration/Size
Jumani Images 16MB*10
Sir Farhan U Videos 2 Videos(3 Min)
Irfan Audios 2 Videos(2 Min)

VII. DISCUSSION
WhatsApp has given broadcast list to making recipients more
than one for sending messages concurrently for saving time
but, there was no any option for processing to send messages
specific users among the created list. It is possible that sender
wants to send message to any particular recipient among the
created list and sender does not want to create broadcast list
many times.
Fig.6. Batch Process Flow Chart
We have considered a mechanism of batch process for
VI. RESULTS WhatsApp and developed a Web application using C# and
WhatsApp is mostly used by persons having different nature Asp.net framework. This software application consists of three
of work but it has some limitation of sending audios and different objects for command and control. It creates a
videos such as only ten images and one audio or video file of recipient batch and which keeps recipient numbers into the
16MB can be send at once. Table 1 represents the limitations Queue by checking or un-checking process using check Group
of WhatsApp in order to utilize the size and number of video, list Box. It is noted that the contacts are already stored in the
audio and images. database for testing purpose and list box fetches recipient from
it. Batch process queue list is highlighted in Fig 5 with red
Table 1. Limitation of Media Files border. In the right side of batch, send button is available to
File Type Size or Limit performing action of sending message to recipients.
Video 1 (16MB) Max
Various sizes of images, audios and videos are tested using the
Audio 1 (16MB) Max Web application and achieved acceptable level results. The
Images 10 (Each 16 MB) Max outcome of this research is to provide the maximum facilities
to the users of smart phone so that they may send as many
It is practically observed that users require sending many files as they wants through WhatsApp. The current application
images, audios and videos with the size more than 16MB. In is only useful enough to send ten images, two audios and two
this proposed research work, user can send two videos/ audios, videos.
and ten images at the same time having different memory size/
limit. The proposed file sizes and limitation is shown in VIII. CONCLUSION
Table.2. The presented opportunity facilitates to sender to WhatsApp instant messanger application is a robust and user
send not only multiple video but also able to send messages to friendly interface. It provides good communication platform
recipients at the same time. for students, teachers and others. By using the broadcast list,
users can create a list of recipients for forwarding the
Table 2. Proposed Media Sizes and Limitations messages at the same time. The problem faces by the many
File Type Size or Limitations users is taken in this research becuase they do not want to
Videos 2 (Each 12 MB) Max forward messages to particular user(s) among the list of
Audios 2( Each 12 MB) Max created recipients. In this paper, we have selected the batch
process mechanism for the development of Web application
Images 10 (Each 16MB) Max which used to faciliate users to forward images, audios and
videos concurrently. The presented results proved that the
The developed web application for sending the messages developed Web application for WhatsApp is useful enough for
through WhatsApp is tested with different files having the users of smart phones. In future, we will work on Web
multiple sizes. The sending process play vital role, therefore, applications for secure communication on social networks
we have calculated the time duration of various files with
 Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Engineering & Emerging Technologies (ICEET), Superior
University, Lahore, PK, 7-8 April, 2016

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