WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging apps in the world, used by over 2 billion people. It is constantly evolving by adding new features and updates to improve the user experience. In this article, we will look at some of the major new additions and changes that have come to WhatsApp recently.
Improved Group Video Calls
One of the biggest updates in 2022 was the improvement in WhatsApp’s group video calling capability. Previously limited to only 4 participants, now WhatsApp allows up to 32 people to join a group video call. This brings it on par with other video conferencing apps like Zoom, Microsoft Teams etc. Some key additions include:
- Bigger video tiles – When there are less participants, the video tiles become larger to highlight the active speaker.
- Message during calls – You can now continue messaging participants even while the group call is ongoing.
- Share screens – Screen sharing is now possible during video calls, allowing presentations and app demos.
For offices, schools, friends and family, the bigger video calls make conversations more engaging and interactive. WhatsApp is also working on including support for call reactions and in-call games to make the experience more fun.
Communities
WhatsApp has introduced a major new feature called Communities to organize different groups together. Community administrators can now link and coordinate up to 10 groups under one umbrella community. Some key features include:
- Announcement messages – Admins can send announcement messages to all members of all groups linked to the Community.
- Control for admins – Admins can remove errant or abusive members from the entire Community.
- New groups – Admins can easily make new groups under the Community as needed.
This is a great tool for schools, offices and societies to bring all their groups comprising students, employees, residents etc. under one platform for better coordination and communication.
Reactions
Taking cues from Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp has added a new Reactions feature to its chats. Users can now react to a message with one of 6 emoji – Like, Love, Laugh, Surprised, Sad and Thanks. This provides a quick and fun way to respond to messages without having to type out words.
To use reactions, long press on a message and the reaction emojis will pop up. Tap on your chosen emoji to react. You can change or remove your reaction later. Multiple people can react to the same message, helping add a layer of engagement to chats.
Message Yourself
A nifty new addition is the ability to message yourself on WhatsApp! It works just like chatting with any other contact. This can serve as a useful way to take notes, set reminders, send media or anything else you want to store in the chat thread with…yourself.
Your self-chat is end-to-end encrypted like all other WhatsApp messages. To start self-messaging, open the contacts list within WhatsApp and tap on your own contact entry at the top. Useful if you want to quickly transfer notes, audios or files from one device to another linked to the same account.
Larger Media Previews
Now when you receive photos or videos on WhatsApp, they will show up larger in the chat. Tapping on the media preview enlarges it even further, allowing you to view received photos and videos clearly without having to actually open them. This is helpful to quickly glance at a photo or video you’ve received before choosing to view or download it.
Call Links
WhatsApp has introduced call links to let users easily start or schedule a call with just one tap. Users can generate a call link from within WhatsApp and share it with friends or colleagues. Tapping on the link immediately starts a call with the user who created that link.
Call links work for both audio and video calls. They can even be used to schedule a call for a future date and time. Each call link can only be used once. Call links provide an easy way to start a call without having to first save each other’s phone numbers.
Greater Control of Group Chats
Managing large WhatsApp groups has become easier thanks to new moderator controls. Only group admins can now:
- Delete messages for everyone
- Turn off chat for group members
- Mention everyone with @all
- Stop incoming messages from unknown users
Further, any group member can report abuse, hate speech, violence or misinformation they see in groups and have it reviewed by WhatsApp moderators.
Pause and Resume Voice Messages
WhatsApp has made composing long voice messages much easier. Now users can pause a voice message while recording and resume later before sending it out. There is no longer a need to record very long messages in one breath.
Voice messages are very popular on WhatsApp as they convey emotion and meaning better than text alone. This new recording workflow will make them even quicker and easier to create.
In-Chat Polls
WhatsApp has activated in-chat polls to let group members create polls right within the chat interface. Users can include up to 12 options and members can select multiple answers as well as see a live summary of results.
Polls are a great way for groups to make decisions, get consensus or just have some fun interactions. WhatsApp Polls have been kept quick and easy to create while also providing useful visualization of results as they pour in.
32 Person Video Calls
WhatsApp recently increased the limit on video calls from 4 to 8 participants. But now they have gone even beyond and you can have up to 32 people on the same video call! This brings WhatsApp video calling on par with platforms like Zoom, Google Meet etc.
To achieve this massive expansion, WhatsApp has optimized their video and audio delivery technology. Even with so many users, the video quality is still decent and stable. Of course, having too many participants will result in smaller tiles and constrained bandwidth.
Shopping Carts
WhatsApp’s in-chat shopping capabilities have expanded with a new feature – shopping carts! Now when you interact with a business on WhatsApp, you can add multiple products to a cart and process the payment to purchase all items in one go.
This makes the shopping experience much quicker by removing the need to purchase items one by one. Shopping carts are a big step by WhatsApp towards more advanced commerce interactions.
Facebook Cross-Messaging
In select countries, WhatsApp is running a trial allowing users to message someone on Facebook Messenger even if they don’t have their phone number added. This cross-messaging ability is made possible by linking the user’s WhatsApp account with their Facebook account.
Cross-messaging blurs the line between Facebook’s messaging apps and makes both platforms more sticky for users. We expect wider availability of this feature soon.
Conclusion
WhatsApp’s rapid growth continues with useful additions like bigger video calls, polls, shopping carts and cross-messaging with Facebook. Communities and self-messaging are also innovative features not seen in other messaging apps.
With over 2 billion users, WhatsApp is clearly the most popular messaging platform globally. The platform is stronger than ever with a steady stream of new updates. Going forward, we expect deeper integration with Facebook’s family of apps for a more seamless messaging experience.
WhatsApp still has scope for improvements in privacy, interface design and business tools. But overall, the messaging giant continues its dominance thanks to useful new capabilities launched frequently.
Here is a summary of the major updates covered in this article:
Update | Description |
---|---|
Improved Group Video Calls | Now support up to 32 participants with bigger video tiles |
Communities | Admins can link up to 10 groups under one Community |
Reactions | React to messages with emojis |
Message Yourself | Chat with yourself for notes, reminders etc. |
Larger Media Previews | Received photos and videos show larger in chat |
Call Links | Share links to quickly start calls |
More Control Over Groups | Admins get tools like @all, chat disable etc. |
Pause/Resume Voice Messages | Record long messages by pausing and resuming |
In-Chat Polls | Create polls for groups right inside chats |
32 Person Video Calls | Doubled the earlier limit of 16 participants |
Shopping Carts | Add products from businesses to a cart before purchase |
Cross-Messaging With Facebook Messenger | Message Facebook friends without phone number (trial) |
In an age of declining attention spans and multiple messaging options, WhatsApp manages to remain in the top spot thanks to its laser focus on improving core messaging and voice/video calling capabilities. With over a billion daily active users, the platform continues to evolve rapidly by listening to user feedback.
Going forward, we expect even more useful additions to enhance the messaging experience and maintain WhatsApp’s dominance as our favorite way to stay in touch with family and friends.
The company promises exciting new features that will be revealed in the coming months as well. With Facebook’s backing, WhatsApp still has an unmatched scale and ability to outpace competitors when it comes to building the messaging platform of the future.
While privacy concerns remain an issue for some when it comes to WhatsApp, it is still the most convenient, feature-rich and easy to use messaging option for the vast majority of people. And with new updates landing regularly, it gives users even more reasons to keep coming back.
From the recent changes, the expanded group video calling capability has the most impact when it comes to changing how people interact. The ability to have up to 32 friends or family on a call is game-changing and brings WhatsApp on par with leading enterprise video conferencing solutions.
For offices and workplaces, there are few better ways to stay connected than a quick WhatsApp video call with up to 32 colleagues discussing tasks, collaborating and making decisions. It brings remote teams closer together.
The other major update – Communities – also holds tremendous potential. WhatsApp is deeply entrenched in many societies around the world. The ability to organize various groups covering an apartment complex, university batch, office team or sports club under one Community umbrella is highly useful.
Overall, the WhatsApp of today has evolved far beyond simple messaging. It is now a communication platform enabling millions of people to connect via text, voice, video and more. The next few years promise even more sophisticated features to let users interact in ways that feel natural and seamless.
Of course, WhatsApp also faces stiff competition from apps like Signal, Telegram, FaceTime, Microsoft Teams and others. However, none have the instant name recognition and massive user base enjoyed by WhatsApp.
With over a billion daily users, WhatsApp is here to stay as our primary method of digital communication and interaction. The platform keeps getting better with new updates that show why it is one of the most beloved apps worldwide.