List of upcoming WhatsApp features to be released soon. (Express Photo: Shruti Dhapola)
WhatsApp keeps on releasing new features every month to keep users engaged on the platform. After all, WhatsApp has over two billion users in the world. WhatsApp recently released a host of new features including Animated Stickers, QR codes, Dark mode for web and desktop and more. And in the future, WhatsApp will keep adding more features so that people continue to use the app. Here’s a look at the top five upcoming features on WhatsApp.
Multi-device support
WhatsApp has been working on multi-device support for some time now. This new feature is currently under development and is expected to be pushed with an upcoming beta release according to WABetaInfo. The feature will allow users to access WhatsApp on multiple devices with a single account. It is being said that the feature will be named Linked Devices at the time of release.
With the Linked Devices feature, the company will also roll out the chat history sync feature to copy all of the chats from one device to another. After the rollout of this feature, an Internet connection on your device will no longer be needed to use WhatsApp Desktop. After the rollout of this feature, messages will be delivered to all your family devices, due to this all of your chat histories will be always synced across platforms. Once you remove a device from the network of linked devices, your encryption key will change and all active chats will be notified.
Testing 👀
When someone adds a new device in his WhatsApp account, you will be notified because encryption keys change.Available in future for iOS and Android! pic.twitter.com/WqrM6cRHWW
— WABetaInfo (@WABetaInfo) March 24, 2020
Disappearing messages
All of the Facebook-owned companies including WhatsApp and Instagram have already copied the Disappearing Stories feature from Snapchat. Now, the company is looking to copy the disappearing messages feature. This upcoming feature will make a message disappear once the user has seen it. However, unlike Snapchat, WhatsApp users will have the option to set a time limit for this activity according to WABetaInfo.
In-app web browser
The company is looking to add an in-app browser to the application that will allow users to open any link inside of WhatsApp itself, without leaving the app. According to WABetaInfo, the feature is currently under its alpha stage of development and might take longer to become available on devices. This new feature will cut down on the time it takes to load an article or any content shared via a link.
Storage control
Currently, everything you get in WhatsApp is stored in one folder on your device. And to delete you have to individually select each message and delete it. To delete in bulk, you either keep selecting the messages or just delete the entire folder. According to WABetaInfo, WhatsApp is looking to provide its users with more control over storage options as part of a redesign. This will allow users to users to manage their messages and chat in detail via a new section inside of the app.
Search on web
WhatsApp’s Search on Web feature has been made available in select countries and is yet to make its way into India. The feature is a means to help stop the spread of misinformation on the app. With this feature, a magnifying glass icon is shown alongside forwarded messages, which redirects users to the web where they can check and verify the message.