WhatsApp will allow users to connect to the messaging app via proxy servers for the first time to allow users to stay online without the internet.
The messaging service, which is owned by Meta, will allow people to use the app even when an internet shutdown or block is in place.
According to the company, which also owns Facebook and Instagram, the decision was in response to internet shutdowns seen in countries such as Iran in recent months, which the company said “deny people’s human rights and cut people off from receiving urgent help”.