WhatsApp is many people’s most-used app, but most of its updates and tweaks often go unnoticed. Or, if you do notice a change, it quickly blends in and is forgotten within days.
WhatsApp has introduced about a dozen updates recently. Some are major new features, not just subtle interface tweaks that change how the app looks or feels.
According to the WhatsApp blog, all these features are already live — no waiting required.
What are WhatsApp’s latest features?
- You can tap other people’s message reactions to send that same reaction.
- An indicator under a group’s name will tell you how many members are online.
- Events can be made in plain conversations with a single person and in groups.
- The attachment menu now offers the option to scan documents in the iPhone version of the app.
- Groups now have a new notification option. Under the settings menu for a group, in Notification > Notify For you’ll find an option called Highlights. This keeps notifications for mentions and replies, to make keeping up with busy groups less hectic.
- Video calls now support pinch-to-zoom, for a closer look at the person you’re talking to. Or what they’re pointing the camera at.
- Tired of rubbish WhatsApp video quality? It has apparently been improved recently, to increase image quality while “reducing dropped calls and video freezing”.
- The app lets you add someone to an ongoing call by using a ‘call’ icon at the top of the screen.
These changes actually apply to the average WhatsApp user. We hadn’t spotted all these changes just by using the app — not until the WhatsApp team pointed them out.
There are also a few new features of interest to those who run a Channel, which may be relevant if you run a business or are an influencer. Or if you’re keen on following Channels yourself.
For the followers, WhatsApp now offers a “written summary” of voice updates posted on Channels. And, if you run a Channel, you can now share videos up to 60 seconds long and generate a QR code to help others find and follow you.
In other major WhatsApp news, parent company Meta may be forced to sell off Instagram and WhatsApp due to an ongoing antitrust lawsuit in the US. But we’ll have to wait and see how that unfolds.
