WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging apps in the world, with over 2 billion active users. It is constantly evolving by releasing new features and updates to improve user experience. In this article, we will discuss some of the major new features and updates that have been introduced in the recent versions of WhatsApp.
Improved Group Video and Voice Calls
One of the biggest updates in WhatsApp has been the improvement in group video and voice calls. Previously, WhatsApp allowed up to 4 participants in a group video or voice call. But now, you can have up to 8 participants in a group video call and up to 32 participants in a group voice call on WhatsApp.
This new limit allows for better collaboration and communication through WhatsApp. Whether you want to chat with family members across different cities or brainstorm ideas with your project team, large group calls make it more convenient.
The interface for group calls has also been improved. You can now see all the participants in a tile view or highlight the video of the person speaking. This makes the experience more engaging. Participants can also join group calls even after they have started through call links.
Disappearing Messages
WhatsApp has introduced disappearing messages as an optional feature under privacy settings. This allows users to make new messages disappear from the chat after 7 days. The feature helps ensure more privacy and security of conversations.
If enabled, any new message sent in the chat will be deleted after 7 days automatically. The user will be notified when disappearing messages are turned on. Note that only new messages will disappear, not the old ones. Media will also be deleted when disappearing messages are turned on.
It is an optional feature that needs to be enabled by either user in a chat. All participants in a chat will be notified if disappearing messages are turned on. A user can disable disappearing messages anytime to go back to default settings where messages don’t disappear.
Always Mute Option
The new always mute option allows you to permanently mute a chat. Earlier, you could only mute notifications from a chat for 8 hours, 1 week, or 1 year. But now with always mute, you can disable notifications from a chat forever.
This can be very useful to mute unnecessary and low priority chats forever. You won’t receive any notifications from always muted chats and they won’t show up in your notifications tab either. You can unmute an always muted chat anytime you want by manually toggling it off.
Media Visibility in Gallery
Earlier, your personal photos and videos sent or received on WhatsApp would show up in your phone’s gallery. But now WhatsApp provides you more control over your media visibility.
You can choose to configure your WhatsApp settings to not show newly sent media in your phone’s gallery. This prevents any private media on WhatsApp from being visible outside of WhatsApp automatically. The new media will only be visible within WhatsApp.
You can toggle this new setting anytime as per your preference. By default, the setting to show media in gallery is enabled. But you can turn it off for more privacy.
QR Codes
WhatsApp has introduced QR codes to easily add new contacts. You can now add a new contact by scanning their WhatsApp QR code instead of needing to type in the phone number. Generate your personal WhatsApp QR code easily by opening WhatsApp > Settings > QR code.
To add a contact, you need to scan their WhatsApp QR code from the Add Contact option in WhatsApp. This will instantly add the contact to your WhatsApp. QR codes make it quicker and easier to exchange contacts without exchanging phone numbers.
Wallpapers
WhatsApp now allows you to customize chat wallpapers. You can set a different wallpaper for different chats now. There are default light & dark mode wallpapers to choose from along with the option to select any photo from your phone gallery as a chat wallpaper.
This new customization feature allows you to distinguish between your different chats using wallpapers. The selected wallpaper will be visible when you open the particular chat. Don’t want wallpapers for all your chats? You can disable chat wallpapers from WhatsApp Settings anytime.
New Stickers and Emojis
WhatsApp regularly updates its sticker pack with new and fun stickers. You can now find multiple sticker packs with colorful stickers and emojis to enhance your chats.
Some of the new stickers on WhatsApp are – Meowmoji Stickers, Confused Stickers, Sad Stickers, Hands Free Stickers. There are also new animated emojis and emojis with skin tone selections available.
To start using stickers, open any chat and tap on the emoji icon > sticker icon. Here you can select and send your favorite stickers. You can also download new sticker packs by tapping on the ‘+’ icon at the top.
Dark Mode
After much anticipation, WhatsApp finally launched dark mode for its users. Dark mode changes the background from white to black, making it easier on eyes and improving readability.
Enabling dark mode applies it across all chat screens. It’s also possible to configure WhatsApp to enable dark mode automatically at night time or based on system settings. You can toggle between light and dark mode easily from WhatsApp settings.
Self-destructing Messages
WhatsApp is testing a new self-destructing message feature for future updates. This feature will allow users to send messages that will self-destruct/disappear after being read by the recipient once. The message will vanish after the recipient reads it once.
There will be a new ‘self-destruct’ button while sending messages. Tapping on it will turn the message into a self-destructing message before sending it out. A self destruct icon will indicate such messages. The feature is still under development but expected soon.
Conclusion
WhatsApp aims to constantly evolve with new features that improve user experience. Recent updates like larger group calls, disappearing messages, QR codes, dark mode, and more have made WhatsApp even more convenient and secure to use.
Some other updates in the pipeline like self destructing messages, will further enhance privacy. WhatsApp also keeps improving the calling interface and fixes any bugs reported by users in newer versions.
Overall, the new capabilities and features make WhatsApp an even more powerful communication platform. With over 2 billion users worldwide, WhatsApp will continue to play an integral role in how people interact. The developers are committed to listening to user feedback and rolling out changes that meet evolving needs.