Bored of voice notes? WhatsApp renews the option and should soon allow to exchange…by video messages. In a beta version, the application belonging to the Meta group has recently offered a few test users the possibility of communicating with their loved ones via short videos, lasting a maximum of 60 seconds.
The operation is similar to that of voice notes, according to the specialized site WABetainfo: to record a video, the person must simply hold down a button located in the same place as the microphone for voice messages.
Launched in 2013, said voice notes have been widely popularized by the platform. According to WhatsApp, an average of 7 billion voice messages are exchanged every day on the application. A success that could encourage the company to quickly extend the video option to a greater number of users.
WhatsApp also unveiled new tools to enhance account privacy. Starting today, users can mute unknown numbers by clicking on the “calls” tab in privacy settings.
Once activated, this feature should automatically filter spam, scams and calls from unknown numbers “for even more protection”, assures the company in a press release published on June 20.
The option is accompanied by the deployment of a step-by-step guide for users wishing to know all the privacy settings available to them on the application. To access it, the person must select the “Start verification” tab in the settings. This is followed by a listing of the different options available to better secure messages, calls and personal information.
At the beginning of June, the company announced that it was working on a “News” tab. By opening it, the user should find the channels and statuses he has chosen to follow, such as the discussion channel of his neighborhood town hall or his favorite football club. News related to these channels will only be stored for 30 days, however, warns WhatsApp.
In its press release published on June 8, the company also indicates that it is thinking about a way for the creators of the said channels to take advantage of them, with a system of promotion of popular channels. For now, this option is still being tested in Singapore and Colombia, before being rolled out worldwide.
