Even though WhatsApp has
received several new features over the last couple of months,
the instant messenger still isn’t as feature-rich as some of the other
popular messengers out there. It lacks quite a few useful features, like
the ability to use the messenger on multiple devices at the same time. Granted
that you can use WhatsApp on your smartphone and desktop simultaneously, but
you’re limited to just those two devices with no option to add a third or a
fourth device. Earlier this year in March, we learned that WhatsApp was preparing
to add multi-device support to the app. The messenger has now started
testing the feature, and it might soon be released on the beta channel.
I just need a little rest now, to be ready to talk about new features.
— WABetaInfo (@WABetaInfo) June 11, 2020
I feel charged, like I've the Ultra Instinct when I will announce a barrage of news. 🔥
STARTING TOMORROW.
HERE.
WABETAINFO. 👊🏼 pic.twitter.com/sZe1lb3tHx
For the Search by date
feature, WhatsApp will add a new Calendar icon to the in-chat search mode.
Tapping on the icon will bring up a calendar where you’ll be able to choose the
exact date to filter your messages. The feature is currently in the alpha stage
of development and might undergo further changes before it’s released on the
beta channel. It’s worth noting that the feature may be rolled out for iOS
users before it’s available on WhatsApp for Android.
The new Storage Usage
tools, however, will make their way to the Android version of the app and will
let you manage WhatsApp’s storage use more efficiently. The messenger will
completely redesign the current Storage Usage section on the app and add a few
new filters to find large files and forwarded files easily. Additionally,
WhatsApp will also add a new Sort button to help you sort photos shared in a
chat. The Sort button will include three options to sort images by — Newest,
Oldest, and Size.
The aforementioned Clear
except starred option for Storage Usage is being tested in the iOS version of
the app and it will do exactly what its name suggests. In the current version
of WhatsApp, you already get an option within chats to clear all messages
except the ones that you’ve starred. However, if you clear messages or files
from the Storage Usage section, the app deletes starred messages as well. With
the new feature, you’ll be able to clear messages and files from the Storage
Usage section without worrying about losing your starred messages.
For Indian users, WhatsApp
is testing ShareChat integration which will add a dedicated media player for
videos hosted on ShareChat. For the unaware, ShareChat is a popular Indian
social network that boasts of over 60 million monthly active users. The
platform hosts short videos in vernacular languages that are often shared on
WhatsApp. With ShareChat integration, WhatsApp users will be able to view
videos hosted on the platform without being redirected to a browser window.
Much like YouTube videos, ShareChat videos will be played in Picture-in-Picture
mode on the messenger.
Earlier this year in March, WhatsApp added a new search
message on the web option in WhatsApp beta for iOS version 2.20.40.26. Now, the
company has started testing a search image on the web feature for iOS users.
Much like the previously released feature, the new search image on the web
option will replace the forward button on a frequently forwarded image
with a Search button. Tapping on the button will upload the image to Google and
conduct a reverse image search, allowing users to get more information about
the forwarded image. The feature is also in development on the Android version
of the app.
All
of the aforementioned features are not available to the public on the beta
version of WhatsApp. However, we expect the company to roll them out in a
future beta release. It’s also worth noting that since the features are
currently in development, WhatsApp may make some significant changes before
they’re released on the beta channel.
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