Game Over? India’s $3.6B Mobile Gaming Dream Crashes as Real-Money Ban Hits Industry

India’s mobile gaming industry is facing a seismic shift following the passage of the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, which bans all forms of real-money online games—regardless of whether they are skill-based or chance-based.

Apps like Dream11, PokerBaazi, Mobile Premier League (MPL), Zupee, and Gameskraft have suspended all money-based contests.

The law prohibits ads, promotions, and financial transactions related to RMGs. Banks, influencers, and even app stores like Google Play and Apple may face penalties for non-compliance.

What the Ban Covers

• Real-money games (RMGs): Apps like Dream11, PokerBaazi, MPL, Zupee, and Gameskraft have suspended all money-based contests.
• Advertising & Payments: The law prohibits ads, promotions, and financial transactions related to RMGs. Banks, influencers, and app stores may face penalties.
• Penalties: Up to ₹1 crore in fines and 3 years imprisonment for offering RMGs; ₹50 lakh and 2 years jail for promoting them.

Industry Impact

• The sector, once projected to reach $3.6 billion by 2029, is now in turmoil.
• Nazara Technologies saw its stock plunge 17% in three days.
• Dream11 ($8B) and MPL ($2.3B) are reassessing their business models.

Legal Pushback

• Gaming firms plan to challenge the ban in the Supreme Court.
• Arguments include lack of consultation, misclassification of skill-based games, and threat to investor-backed growth.

What’s Next for Gaming in India?

• Pivot to in-app purchases (IAPs) and ad-supported casual games.
• Focus on e-sports and subscription-based social games without wagering.

Industry Projections: Before vs After Ban

Metric	Before Ban	After Ban
Projected Market Size (2029)	$3.6 Billion	$1.2–1.5 Billion (est.)
Top Revenue Model	Real-Money Contests	In-App Purchases & Ads
Investor Sentiment	High (VC-backed growth)	Uncertain (legal risks)
Job Creation	40,000+ by 2027	Likely to shrink

Govt Bans 174 Betting and Gambling Apps Upon Request By the Enforcement Directorate (ED)

The government of India has blocked a total of 581 apps, including 174 betting and gambling apps and 87 loan lending apps. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) issued a blocking order against some 22 'illegal' betting apps and websites, upon a request by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

The banned apps were involved in money laundering through hawala, crypto, and other illegal routes. Some of the banned apps include Mahadev, Parimatch, Fairplay, 1XBET, Lotus365, Dafabet, and Betwaysatta. According to eeports, some of these platforms are currently being probed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

"Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) blocked a total of 581 applications under section 69A of IT Act, 2000 which includes 174 betting and gambling related applications, 87 loan lending applications and other applications including gaming applications like PUBG, GArena Free Fire etc," Pankaj Chaudhary, minister of state for finance, said in a reply to Lok Sabha, as reported by The Economic Times.

Betting and gambling activities are banned in India, under various State laws, however few games of skill have been held to be constitutionally valid by the Supreme Court in various judgements.

Early of last month, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) had issued blocking orders against 22 illegal betting apps & websites, including Mahadev Book and Reddyannaprestopro. The action followed investigations conducted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against illegal betting app syndicate and subsequent raids on Mahadev Book in Chhattisgarh, revealing the app’s unlawful operations.

Ealier in February, the central government had also blocked 138 illegal betting and gaming websites. However, some of them were still operating.

In October, The Economics Times reported that the government found 114 illegal betting and gambling apps operating in the country through domain farming.

Last week, the Minister of State in a reply to a Lok Sabha (lower house) question, told parliament that no offshore companies have so far registered after October 1st.

TRAI Exploring Emergency Ban on WhatsApp and Facebook

TRAI releases Consultation Paper on Regulatory Mechanism for Over-The-Top (OTT) Communication Services, and Selective Banning of OTT Services.

India's telecom services regulator, TRAI, has floated a consultation paper to explore a framework for internet-based calls and messaging apps like Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram, Apple's FaceTime etc. and selectively ban their services during emergency situations.

Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has requested TRAI to suggest a suitable regulatory mechanism for OTTs, including issues relating to 'selective banning of O1T services' as part of its recommendations to DoT.

Further, a parliamentary panel has recommended the DoT to examine the recommendation of TRAI and come out with a policy which will enable the selective banning of OTT services such as Facebook, WhatsApp and Telegram during unrest and crisis as these apps are prone to be used by terrorists or anti-national elements in specified regions.

In December 2021, a Parliament’s Standing Committee on Communication and Information Technology submitted its 26th report titled ‘Suspension of telecom services/ Internet and its impact’.

The Committee feels that it will be of great relief if the DoT can explore the option of banning selective services, such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram etc. instead of banning the Internet as a whole. This will allow financial services, health, education, and various other services to continue to operate for business as usual thereby minimizing inconvenience and suffering to the general public and also help in controlling spreading of misinformation during unrest.

Through the letter dated 7th September 2022, DoT has also mentioned that "in view of the humongous growth of services in the recent past and these services having reached a matured stage, there is a need to holistically look into the various aspects of these services induding regulatory, economic, security, privacy, and safety aspects. This is also in keeping with para 2.2 of the National Digital Communications Policy - 2018 which mentions the policy goal for "Ensuring a holitic and harmonal approach for harnessing Emerging Technologies' It has been mentioned therein that a policy framework for 'Over the Top' services will be developed."

The consultation paper mentions — "In some use cases such as messaging, consumer preferences have switched from traditional telecommunication services to OTTs. With OTTs used increasingly for messaging and to some extent for voice communication, globally, the general trend is a transition from voice and SMS towards data as a primary source of revenue for telecom service providers. In India, composition of the revenue basket of wireless access service providers has undergone a sea-change in the period from the year 2013 to 2022.

Cloud based OTTs : An Issue for Selective Banning

DoT has informed committee that services hosted on cloud are difficult to ban selectively since they operate from multiple locations in multiple countries and continuously shift from one service to the other. However, websites operating through fixed URLs can be banned.

The websites that use dynamic IP addresses and are hosted on cloud servers can pose a challenge to conventional methods of blocking – said the consultation paper. In such situations, such situations, alternative methods may be necessary to effectively control internet filtering. Advanced techniques can be employed to identify and block access to such websites.

Further, there may be scenarios where the targeted websites use Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (https) protocol. HTTPS protocol provides encryption and security for websites, making it difficult for service providers to block content on these sites. However, there are still ways to block or filter content at a network level, such as using a firewall or content filtering software. As far as area specific barring is concerned, it also needs to be carried out at network level, for which effective methods are required to be worked out.

The Department have also informed the parliamentary committee that Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram etc. are basically categorized as OTT services in short. These OTT services are riding over the existing telecom service provider's network.

In the consultation paper, the regulator has sought views on the requirement of a framework for OTTs encompassing lawful interception, privacy and security, customer verification, pesky calls and messages, technical challenges in banning specific service etc.

In the past several consultation papers, TRAI has set aside the demand for regulating internet-based calling and messaging apps.

TRAI has set August 4 as the last date for comments on the paper and August 18 for counter comments.

Govt Blocks 118 Mobile Apps including PUBG, Baidu and WeChat Work

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India invoking it’s power under section 69A of the Information Technology Act read with the relevant provisions of the Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Blocking of Access of Information by Public) Rules 2009 and in view of the emergent nature of threats has decided to block 118 mobile apps (see Appendix below of this post) since in view of information available they are engaged in activities which is prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has received many complaints from various sources including several reports about misuse of some mobile apps available on Android and iOS platforms for stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users’ data in an unauthorized manner to servers which have locations outside India. The compilation of these data, its mining and profiling by elements hostile to national security and defence of India, which ultimately impinges upon the sovereignty and integrity of India, is a matter of very deep and immediate concern which requires emergency measures.

The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre, Ministry of Home Affairs has also sent an exhaustive recommendation for blocking these malicious apps.. Likewise, there have been similar bipartisan concerns, flagged by various public representatives, both outside and inside the Parliament of India. There has been a strong chorus in the public space to take strict action against Apps that harm India’s sovereignty as well as the privacy of our citizens.

On the basis of these and upon receiving of recent credible inputs that information posted, permissions sought, functionality embedded as well as data harvesting practices of above stated Apps raise serious concerns that these Apps collect and share data in surreptitious manner and compromise personal data and information of users that can have a severe threat to security of the State.

In the interest of sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India and security of the State. And using the sovereign powers, the Government of India has decided to block the usage of certain Apps, used in both mobile and non-mobile Internet enabled devices. These apps are listed in the attached appendix.

This move will safeguard the interests of crores of Indian mobile and internet users. This decision is a targeted move to ensure safety, security and sovereignty of Indian cyberspace.

Appendix

1. APUS Launcher Pro- Theme, Live Wallpapers, Smart
2. APUS Launcher -Theme, Call Show, Wallpaper, HideApps
3. APUS Security -Antivirus, Phone security, Cleaner
4. APUS Turbo Cleaner 2020- Junk Cleaner, Anti-Virus
5. APUS Flashlight-Free & Bright
6. Cut Cut – Cut Out & Photo Background Editor
7. Baidu
8. Baidu Express Edition
9. FaceU - Inspire your Beauty
10. ShareSave by Xiaomi: Latest gadgets, amazing deals
11. CamCard - Business Card Reader
12. CamCard Business
13. CamCard for Salesforce
14. CamOCR
15. InNote
16. VooV Meeting - Tencent Video Conferencing
17. Super Clean - Master of Cleaner, Phone Booster
18. WeChat reading
19. Government WeChat
20. Small Q brush
21. Tencent Weiyun
22. Pitu
23. WeChat Work
24. Cyber Hunter
25. Cyber Hunter Lite
26. Knives Out-No rules, just fight!
27. Super Mecha Champions
28. LifeAfter
29. Dawn of Isles
30. Ludo World-Ludo Superstar
31. Chess Rush
32. PUBG MOBILE Nordic Map: Livik
33. PUBG MOBILE LITE
34. Rise of Kingdoms: Lost Crusade
35. Art of Conquest: Dark Horizon
36. Dank Tanks
37. Warpath
38. Game of Sultans
39. Gallery Vault - Hide Pictures And Videos
40. Smart AppLock (App Protect)
41. Message Lock (SMS Lock)-Gallery Vault Developer Team
42. Hide App-Hide Application Icon
43. AppLock
44. AppLock Lite
45. Dual Space - Multiple Accounts & App Cloner
46. ZAKZAK Pro - Live chat & video chat online
47. ZAKZAK LIVE: live-streaming & video chat app
48. Music - Mp3 Player
49. Music Player - Audio Player & 10 Bands Equalizer
50. HD Camera Selfie Beauty Camera
51. Cleaner - Phone Booster
52. Web Browser & Fast Explorer
53. Video Player All Format for Android
54. Photo Gallery HD & Editor
55. Photo Gallery & Album
56. Music Player - Bass Booster - Free Download
57. HD Camera - Beauty Cam with Filters & Panorama
58. HD Camera Pro & Selfie Camera
59. Music Player - MP3 Player & 10 Bands Equalizer
60. Gallery HD
61. Web Browser - Fast, Privacy & Light Web Explorer
62. Web Browser - Secure Explorer
63. Music player - Audio Player
64. Video Player - All Format HD Video Player
65. Lamour Love All Over The World
66. Amour- video chat & call all over the world.
67. MV Master - Make Your Status Video & Community
68. MV Master - Best Video Maker & Photo Video Editor
69. APUS Message Center-Intelligent management
70. LivU Meet new people & Video chat with strangers
71. Carrom Friends : Carrom Board & Pool Game-
72. Ludo All Star- Play Online Ludo Game & Board Games
73. Bike Racing : Moto Traffic Rider Bike Racing Games
74. Rangers Of Oblivion : Online Action MMO RPG Game
75. Z Camera - Photo Editor, Beauty Selfie, Collage
76. GO SMS Pro - Messenger, Free Themes, Emoji
77. U-Dictionary: Oxford Dictionary Free Now Translate
78. Ulike - Define your selfie in trendy style
79. Tantan - Date For Real
80. MICO Chat: New Friends Banaen aur Live Chat karen
81. Kitty Live - Live Streaming & Video Live Chat
82. Malay Social Dating App to Date & Meet Singles
83. Alipay
84. AlipayHK
85. Mobile Taobao
86. Youku
87. Road of Kings- Endless Glory
88. Sina News
89. Netease News
90. Penguin FM
91. Murderous Pursuits
92. Tencent Watchlist (Tencent Technology
93. Learn Chinese AI-Super Chinese
94. HUYA LIVE – Game Live Stream
95. Little Q Album
96. Fighting Landlords - Free and happy Fighting Landlords
97. Hi Meitu
98. Mobile Legends: Pocket
99. VPN for TikTok
100. VPN for TikTok
101. Penguin E-sports Live assistant
102. Buy Cars-offer everything you need, special offers and low prices
103. iPick
104. Beauty Camera Plus - Sweet Camera & Face Selfie
105. Parallel Space Lite - Dual App
106. "Chief Almighty: First Thunder BC
107. MARVEL Super War NetEase Games
108. AFK Arena
109. Creative Destruction NetEase Games
110. Crusaders of Light NetEase Games
111. Mafia City Yotta Games
112. Onmyoji NetEase Games
113. Ride Out Heroes NetEase Games
114. Yimeng Jianghu-Chu Liuxiang has been fully upgraded
115. Legend: Rising Empire NetEase Games
116. Arena of Valor: 5v5 Arena Games
117. Soul Hunters
118. Rules of Survival

Huawei Dismisses Washington's 3-Month Delay to 'Unjust' US ban

Beijing, Aug 20 (AFP) Huawei on Tuesday dismissed Washington's three-month delay to a ban on US firms selling to the Chinese tech giant and said the decision would not change the fact it had been "treated unjustly".

The US Commerce Department effectively suspended for a second time tough rules stopping the sale of components and services to the telecoms titan and a prohibition on buying equipment from it.

However, it also said it would add 46 more companies to its list of Huawei subsidiaries and affiliates that would be covered by the ban if it is implemented in full -- taking the total on the list to more than 100.

The original ban was announced earlier this year by US authorities who claim it provides a backdoor for Chinese intelligence services -- something the firm denies.

Last month, Huawei Technologies said on Tuesday that its revenue has been increased by 23.2% year-on-year to US$58.3 billion in the first half of the year, even as its top official admitted US sanctions would bring challenges in the coming months.

"It's clear that this decision, made at this particular time, is politically motivated and has nothing to do with national security," Huawei responded in a statement, adding that the actions "violate the basic principles of free market competition." "They are in no one's interests, including US companies. Attempts to suppress Huawei's business won't help the United States achieve technological leadership" Huawei said.

"The extension of the Temporary General License does not change the fact that Huawei has been treated unjustly."

Monday's move means Huawei can continue to buy US-made semiconductors and other materials crucial to its phones and network equipment, and that US telecommunications companies can continue to buy Huawei's networking equipment.

Huawei -- considered the world leader in superfast 5G equipment and the world's number two smartphone producer -- was in May swept into a deepening trade war between Beijing and Washington, which has seen punitive tariffs slapped on hundreds of billions of dollars of two-way trade.

The suspension of the ban does not signal a change in US concerns that Huawei equipment poses a national security threat or lift a general prohibition on the use of its 5G systems in the United States.

"As we continue to urge consumers to transition away from Huawei's products, we recognise that more time is necessary to prevent any disruption," Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said in a statement.

Earlier this month, Huawei unveiled its own operating system called HarmonyOS, highly anticipated software considered crucial for the tech group's survival as the looming ban could remove its access to Google's Android operating system. (AFP)

~ PTI

US gives Huawei 90 Day Reprieve on Ban: Ross

The United States gave Huawei a 90-day reprieve Monday on a ban against buying US technology, but added nearly four dozen subsidiaries of the Chinese telecoms giant to the prohibition.

"As we continue to urge consumers to transition away from Huawei's products, we recognise that more time is necessary to prevent any disruption," Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said in a statement.

The ban is part of a sweeping effort by President Donald Trump's administration to restrict Huawei, which officials claim has links to Chinese intelligence that makes it a security threat.

Ross announced that another 46 Huawei affiliates are being added to the list of banned companies, meaning over 100 are now subject to the restrictions.

But the Commerce Department has extended a temporary license for US companies to work with the Chinese firm and its subsidiaries for another 90 days. "We are giving them more time to wean themselves off," Ross said on Fox Business Network, noting that the new deadline for implementing the ban is November 19.

"Technically Huawei says they're privately-owned company, but under Chinese law, even private companies are required to cooperate with the military and with the Chinese intelligence agencies and they're also required not to disclose that they are doing so," Ross said.

Huawei is the number two global smartphone vendor and is considered the world leader in fast fifth-generation or 5G equipment, but is hampered by lack of access to key hardware and software, including smartphone chips.

Trump on Sunday repeated that "we don't want to do business with Huawei for national security reasons. (AFP)

Inter-Ministerial group Suggests Ban of Private Cryptocurrencies in India

An inter-ministerial committee has suggested banning of private cryptocurrencies, like bitcoin, and criminalising any activities related to virtual currencies. It, however, pitched for introduction of an official digital currency with a status of a legal tender and appropriately regulated by the Reserve Bank of India. The report by the committee was released on Monday.

The government had constituted an inter-ministerial committee (IMC) on November 2, 2017, under the chairmanship of the economic affairs secretary, with secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Sebi chairman and an RBI deputy governor as members to study the issues related to virtual currencies, and propose specific action.

"As for private cryptocurrencies, given the risks associated with them and volatility in their prices, the group has recommended banning of the cryptocurrencies in India and imposing fines and penalties for carrying on of any activities connected with cryptocurrencies in India," said a release in this regard.

The report said that other than Bitcoin, several other cryptocurrencies have emerged, including Ethereum, Ripple and Cardano.

The development comes just after a tech lawyer has uploaded a copy of a draft bill that seeks to ban cryptocurrencies in India and to be deliberated on by the Parliament of India. The draft bill aims to completely ban cryptocurrencies in the country.

As of now, there are around 2,116 cryptocurrencies, with a market capitalisation of USD 119.46 billion, it added.

"Committee is very receptive and supportive of distributed ledger technologies and recommends its widespread use in delivering financial services. It also opens up door for a possible official digital rupee. Private crypto currencies are of no real value. Rightly banned," Subhash Chandra Garg, Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, said in a tweet.

The committee has also suggested a draft legislation - the Banning of Cryptocurrency & Regulation of Official Digital Currency Bill, 2019.

This report and the draft bill will now be examined in consultation with all the departments concerned and regulatory authorities, before a final decision is taken by the government, the release said.

Meanwhile, the report has also highlighted the positive aspect of distributed-ledger technology (DLT) and suggested various applications, especially in financial services, for use of DLT in India.

"The DLT can be of great benefit to India in several financial and nonfinancial areas. In finance, DLT can be particularly beneficial in the areas of trade financing, lowering the costs of personal identification for KYC related issues, and improving access to credit," as per a recommendation of the panel.

The DLT-based systems can be used by banks and other financial firms for processes such as loan-issuance tracking, collateral management, fraud detection and claims management in insurance, and reconciliation systems in the securities market.

Also, regulators including the RBI, Sebi, IRDA, PFRDA and IBBI should also focus on DLT to explore building of appropriate regulations for development of the technology in their respective areas.

As virtual currencies and its underlying technology are still evolving, the group has proposed that the government may establish a standing committee to revisit the issues addressed in the report as and when required.

However, the group also said the government should have an open mind on the cryptocurrencies.

"The committee is of the view that it would be advisable to have an open mind regarding the introduction of an official digital currency in India," the report said.

As per the panel, which is against private virtual currency, there is no underlying intrinsic value of these private cryptocurrencies.

"These private cryptocurrencies lack all the attributes of a currency. There is no fixed nominal value of these private cryptocurrencies i.e. neither act as any store of value nor they are a medium of exchange," it said.

Since their inception, cryptocurrencies have demonstrated extreme fluctuations in their prices. Therefore, the committee was of "clear view" that the private crytocurrencies should not be allowed.

"These crytocurrencies cannot serve the purpose of a currency. The private cryptocurrencies are inconsistent with the essential functions of money/currency, hence private cryptocurrencies cannot replace fiat currencies," it said.

Virtual currency is therefore distinguished from the Fiat currency of a country that is designated as its legal tender.

Earlier, the RBI had set up a committee to explore feasibility of launching an official digital currency amid central banks around the world exploring the option of introducing fiat digital currencies. PTI KPM NKD

India’s Alleged Cryptocurrency 'Ban' Bill Leaked Online

On Monday, a tech lawyer named Varun Sethi has uploaded a copy of a draft bill (pdf) that seeks to ban cryptocurrencies in India and to be deliberated on by the Parliament of India. The draft bill aims to completely ban cryptocurrencies in the country.

Titled as “Banning of Cryptocurrency & Regulation of Official Digital Currencies”, the document is 18 pages long and contains a few specifics regarding definitions and plans to outlaw the use of crypto in the country.

The document, authenticity of which is yet to be confirmed, states the possible effects this bill may have on cryptocurrency in the country and the global sector in general.

The leaked document specifically states that no person would be allowed to use cryptocurrency in India as a medium of exchange, store of value, and/or unit of account, adding that cryptocurrencies shall not be used as legal tender at any place in the country.

Those who are found to be directly or indirectly mining, generating, holding, selling, dealing in, transferring, disposing or issuing cryptocurrency would be “punishable with fine…or with imprisonment which shall not be less than one year but which may extend up to ten years, or both.”

The leaked document surfaced online within a few weeks after it was reported that India is considering to put a law wherein there will be a jail term of one to 10 years for those who mine, hold or sell cryptocurrencies.

The leaked document does not mention "the 10-year jail term" but it does describe the procudeure to "determine the period of Imprisonment" as in below Image

Digital Rupee

Besides banning cryptocurrency, the bill also lays out the provision for “Digital Rupee” as well as official foreign digital currency.

The bill describes “Digital Rupee” as "a form of currency issued digitally by the Reserve Bank and approved by the Central Government to be legal tender."

"Foreign digital currency” is defined as “any class, category or type of digital currency recognised as legal tender in a foreign jurisdiction.”

“The Central Government, in consultation with the Central Board of the Reserve Bank, may approve Digital Rupee to be legal tender with effect from such date and to such extent as may be specified,” the bull states.

“The Reserve Bank may by notification declare any official foreign digital currency to be recognised as foreign currency in India to the extent specified in the notification.”

This is the Allege Draft of the proposed Banning of Cryptocurrency and Regulation of Official digital currency bill 2019 ( India) is yet to be drafted completely and tabled in the parliament to become an Act with or without modifications.

Supreme Court To Hear Plea To Ban WhatsApp Next Wednesday

Is WhatsApp the glue holding your conversations with your loved ones far away together? Is it the place where you have managed to keep in touch with your long-last school, college buddies? Well, if that's the case. Then, here's a heartbreaking news for you.

Next Wednesday i.e. 29th June would see the Indian Supreme Court hearing a petition seeking a ban on the popular messaging app, WhatsApp.

Sudhir Yadav, a 27 years old Haryana-based right-to-information (RTI) activist, has filed a petition seeking a ban on the messaging app on the argument that the platform's end-to-end encryption is providing terrorists an easy way of communication that is impossible for the government agencies to intercept. Thus, posing a massive threat to India's and the world's safety on the whole.

The petition filed states that from April this year, WhatsApp has started enabling every message sent and received on its platform with 256-bit encryption that is impossible for even the government security agencies to break into. Adding to this is the woe that even if under some special circumstances the government asks WhatsApp to break through an individual's message on the platform and hand over its contents to the government, it won't be able to produce the same as even it does not have the decryption keys.

According to Sudhir, this gives a leverage to the terrorists to use the popular messaging platform to plan and plot their inhuman and unlawful activities secretly, without coming under the government's scanner.

The petition filed also carries the name of some other popular messaging platforms such as Viber, Hike, Secure Chat and a few others, who also according to Sudhir are making use of high encryption and possess a threat to the country's security.

Yadav's PIL also mentions that in order to decrypt a WhatsApp message one needs a 115,792,089,237,316,195,423,570,985,008,687,907,853,269,984,665,640,564,039,457,584,007,913,129,639,935 key combinations, which becomes a far-fetched task for even a super computer. According to him, a single 256-bit encrypted message would end up taking hundreds of years to decrypt because of WhatsApp encryption policy.

What is going to be WhatsApp's fate is something we will have to wait and watch till next Wednesday. Keep watching this space for more updates on the issue.

[Top Image - endermasali / Shutterstock.com]