WhatsApp has recently received a new update with changes and new features, and also announces the news that will come to the platform in the coming months, some in beta mode and others in a massive way.
Regarding the functions that it is already possible to test on the platform, you may have recently started to see the profile photo of each user in group conversations. This is one of the novelties of the application to try to avoid chaos in this type of talk, especially when there are many participants. The platform used different colors to distinguish users, an aspect that is maintained, but a small image is added to the side of the chat to better distinguish them.
As a test, that is, in its beta version, WhatsApp has launched the companion mode, which allows you to link two mobile phones and use the same account on two phones at the same time.
To use it, you will have to enter the platform Configuration and click on ‘Linked Devices’, from where you can assign another terminal for the use of the same account.
For a long time, there are users who use WhatsApp to write notes or reminders. Aware of this, the messaging application has decided to make this task easier by launching Message Yourself. “It is a personal chat with yourself in which you can send yourself notes, reminders or the news you need”, as they explain.
This functionality, which is gradually being extended to Android and iOS users, is easy to start using, because since it was installed, it is possible to see one’s phone number when creating a new chat.
Another of the updates that WhatsApp has introduced has been to, by default, silence those groups in which there are more than 256 participants. The user will not have to do anything at all, as the platform will silence them by itself.
Another of the great novelties will be the avatars, an option that has already begun to be developed. WhatsApp belongs to Meta and as is known, Zuckerberg’s company is very interested in the metaverse. That is why it is not surprising that WhatsApp itself begins to participate in this world with its own avatars.
Depending on the app, the avatars will be a new sticker or profile picture, and the user will be able to create a digital version of themselves from billions of combinations of various hairstyles, facial features and clothing. “On WhatsApp, you can now use your custom avatar as your profile picture or choose one of 36 custom stickers that reflect various emotions and actions,” they say.
To create an avatar, the user must go to Settings/Settings/Account/Privacy and select the Avatar option. The truth is that there are still many users who do not have this option, but it will come little by little.
This update, which has been rolling out for a month now, allows users to bring different groups together under a single main group to receive updates sent to the entire community and easily organize smaller discussion groups. Thus, a community can be created by adding up to 10 group chats.
Depending on the platform this can be useful for example for parents in a school, local clubs and even small workplaces. They also ensure that they are working hard on this aspect to provide private, safe and secure ways for these groups to communicate on WhatsApp.
Another great novelty is the possibility of introducing surveys in group chats. To do this, the administrator of each group must click on the button that appears in the chat, next to the writing bar, and start their own survey in a simple way, with one question and various voting options.
When each user sends himself, he can press the option that interests him and see what the other members of the group vote for.
One of the most striking changes, and one that will make life much easier for users who usually look for old messages among the multitude of chats, is the search by date. Although it is not yet confirmed when this update will arrive, it may be already in 2023.
Thanks to this option, as published by WEBetaInfo, the new message search function by date will include a search engine, in the form of a calendar, to select messages by day, month and year.
Another important novelty will be the addition of new emojis, but for now only on Android phones. For its part, for iOS users it will be possible to start making video calls in a floating window, which will allow other actions to be carried out while the video conversation is in progress.
