WhatsApp has shown itself to be one of the world’s most widely used and popular messaging platforms. As expected from an app of this calibre, it keeps evolving and updating to incorporate new and exciting features. WhatsApp has announced several new features on this platform in the near future. Here, we will look at the latest and upcoming WhatsApp features and discuss their uses in our day-to-day lives.
1. WhatsApp logout
A significant feature that WhatsApp is in the works to roll out is the logout option. This will effectively replace the ‘Delete Account’ button and thus support the upcoming multi-device feature. This feature was recently seen on the new beta version of WhatsApp. This will roll out to Android and iOS versions of the app shortly.
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2. Communities
WhatsApp allows users to create groups and collectively share messages, videos, images, and more. An upcoming feature on WhatsApp is the Communities feature, where users can make several separate groups and clump them together under a single Community (e.g. a school community with individual class groups). This will allow users much greater ease of management.
The upcoming feature will also provide new tools for admins. These include announcement messages to be sent to entire groups or select groups chats in groups. As is the security in WhatsApp chats, the Community feature is also end-to-end encrypted technology, which makes the chats stay between you and the intended recipients.
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3. Read later
Another upcoming feature is the ‘Read later option. This is said to improve the existing Archived Chats feature on WhatsApp. When a chat is labelled as Read later, no notifications will be sent for that chat. Moreover, the feature will include a ‘vacation mode. You can customize the settings for the Read later options.
4. Larger group size
WhatsApp Limit for the participants in a group is maxed out at 256. The new feature will allow users to increase the number of participants to 512. This will be a great help as companies will ease management in notifying their employees in a single group at once.
5. Ability for admins to delete unwanted messages
The messaging app is set to release a feature that allows group admins to delete specific messages in a group chat. The Admin Delete feature will come out in the latter half of 2022. This will be a game changer for groups as a whole where now admins can target and clear out unwanted and toxic chats from the group. Once the admin deletes the message, it’ll no longer be available to any group member.
6. More participants in voice calls
WhatsApp is focused on increasing the number of participants in its various services, and voice calls are no exception. WhatsApp has announced that the maximum number of participants in the group voice call will be 32, much more than the maximum of 8.
7. Chat filters
As we know, WhatsApp has recently introduced chat filters to business account users. According to WABetainfo, the Instant messaging company is rolling out that feature to the standard user accounts. This will be a highly ease-driven addition since users can only find different chats by tapping the Search button and searching for individual messages.
8. Companion Mode for multi-device sync
According to leaks, WhatsApp will add “WhatsApp Companion Mode,” a multi-device sync feature that will let WhatsApp users link a secondary mobile device to their WhatsApp account. Users can access their single WhatsApp account on multiple devices, which is not possible currently.
9. Polls
Taking a page from its sibling company, Instagram, WhatsApp’s upcoming feature will include the ability to create polls. Users can create group polls adding up to twelve choices to them. A comparable feature has been seen in the WhatsApp desktop client as well.
10. Quick reactions to status updates
The Messaging giant is in the works to roll out a feature where you can react with emojis on status updates. As per rumours, The Emojis you can respond with include: Face with Tears of Joy, Smiling Face with Heart-Eyes, Face with Open Mouth, Folded Hands, Crying Face, Clapping Hands, Hundred Points, and Party Popper. When the feature comes out officially, WhatsApp will probably add more Emojis to the list.
11. More time limit for deleting sent messages
WhatsApp will increase the time limit of deleting messages from 1 hour, 8 minutes, and 16 seconds to a maximum of 2 days and 12 hours.
12. More Emoji reactions
WhatsApp is in the works of creating an Emoji reaction feature that allows users to react to messages using Emojis. As of today, only six emojis are used for message reactions. WhatsApp has confirmed they are adding more emoji reactions over time.