WhatsApp Just Announced a Dozen New Features
The next time you open WhatsApp, you may notice some changes. As announced in a blog post on Thursday , the app is rolling out a dozen new features, covering chats, calls and even the Updates tab. Here’s what’s new:
Chat updates
Group chats are getting a number of updates. WhatsApp is adding an online indicator to group messages so you can see who has WhatsApp open in the thread at any given moment. This change should help you estimate how many people are currently reading the chat. You’ll see a new indicator right below the group chat name. Similarly, WhatsApp is adding a new “Notify about” section in Group Chat settings to manage the notifications you receive from these topics. You can use the Highlights option to limit the time the app pings you, including for “@mentions,” replies, or messages from saved contacts. Of course, you can always accept notifications for all messages in any group chat as usual.
The app has added the ability to create events in one-on-one chats. Previously, this feature was exclusive to group chats, which makes sense—you’d likely want to schedule an event with a group rather than just one contact—but if you want to pre-schedule a video meeting or send a special invite to someone who doesn’t have the invitation app you use , this change could be useful.
There are also two iPhone-specific features here: WhatsApp now has a built-in document scanner on iOS, in case you don’t want to use it in your Notes app . You’ll find this option in the attachment tray under Scan a Document. WhatsApp claims that this feature will help you scan a document, as well as crop and save it. Secondly, you can now set WhatsApp as the default calling and messaging app on your iPhone if you spend most of your time chatting on WhatsApp via iOS Messages.
The latest change to chats affects reactions. Now you can copy someone else’s reaction to a post without having to dig through the selection yourself.
Call updates
You’ll notice three new features when making calls. On iOS, you can zoom in during a video call. This works with both your video feed and the feed of the person you’re talking to. For example, your friend may be showing you something from his side, but you can’t tell what it is just from the video stream. You can then enlarge the image to take a closer look. Conversely, if you want to see something in your video stream that you can’t make out, you can also quickly zoom in.
You can now add a friend to a one-to-one call by swiping to their chat, tapping the call button, and selecting “Add to call.” It’s a small change, but I can imagine it being handy when you need to call a friend for an ongoing conversation.
Finally, WhatsApp says they have updated their video calling technology by optimizing the routing system and improving bandwidth detection. Calls should be better quality and less likely to lag or drop out, but we’ll have to see if that’s true in real-world use.
Changes in the “Updates” section
There are also three changes to the Updates tab: Channel admins can record and publish videos to their subscribers directly from the app (though these videos must be 60 seconds or less). You can also see transcripts of voice message updates in channels, and channel admins can share QR codes to link to the channel.