Meta-owned WhatsApp has announced a number of new features. It has announced updates for its ‘Status’ feature and for the rest of the application as well.
Status Updates
There are a number of updates made to the ‘Status’ feature. One of them being, sharing voice messages on status.
In the Status Profile Rings feature, a ring will be shown around the user’s profile picture when they share a status update. The ring will be visible in the chat lists, group participant lists, and contact info, according to WhatsApp.
The Voice Status update will provide WhatsApp users the facility to record and share voice messages, which can include reaction to something, a laugh or just anything, up to 30 seconds on their status.
Another addition in Status is Reactions, that will enable users to react to status updates of other users. They will be able to react by using one of eight emojis. After Reactions launched last year, according to WhatsApp, this was the most requested feature by users. It will also make users respond to a status with text, voice message, stickers and more.
Another major update from the messaging platform is Private Audience Selector. Users will now be able to choose the privacy options for each status they share, thanks to this upgrade. The audience that a user selects through the Private Audience Selector will be remembered and utilized as the default for your subsequent status, according to WhatsApp.
“We’ve added some exciting updates to the status feature. Tell it how it is, your way, with voice status. Now you can effortlessly record and share voice messages on your status,” WhatsApp tweeted.
We've added some exciting 🆕 updates to the status feature.
Tell it how it is, your way, with voice status. Now you can effortlessly record and share voice messages on your status. pic.twitter.com/MTdOjz4KlT
— WhatsApp (@WhatsApp) February 7, 2023
It said, “Choose the contacts who can see your WhatsApp statuses. Give each status the audience you want and have even more control of your visibility. Links shared in your status will be easier to view with link previews.”
Users will be able to automatically view a visual preview of the link content thanks to a new Link Preview on Status, much like when you send a message. Whatsapp stated in a statement that “visual previews make your statuses seem better and also give your contacts a better idea of what the link is before they click.”
According to the company, these upgrades have begun to be sent to users worldwide and will be made available to everyone in the upcoming weeks.
Other features
Another update includes longer groups of topics and descriptions. Its character limit was raised from 512 to 2049 characters in order to upgrade to the new feature. WhatsApp is also making updates to the group subject on iOS for iPhone users, which may now accept up to 100 characters. After downloading the most recent WhatsApp beta for iOS, the functionality is accessible to all users, and it will be made available to even more users over the next several days.
Select users now have access to a new tool that lets them exchange up to 100 files in chats. After updating WhatsApp to the most recent version, users who have signed up for the beta programme will be able to exchange up to 100 media files at once. The Google Play Store has the update.
Upcoming feature: Pin Messages
Pin Messages feature allows users to pin messages within chats and groups. Users will be able to pin significant messages in any conversation to the chat’s top with functionality. The app will display a message in the discussion asking the receiver to update to the most recent version offered in the store if a message is pinned and the recipient is using an older version of the programme.
As it will enable users to retrieve crucial chats, the new functionality will be crucial, especially in groups that receive a lot of messages.
A future upgrade of the application is anticipated to include the feature of pinning messages within chats and groups, according to the application.
