WhatsApp has always been progressive in terms of updates it sends out. Back when it was started, it was just texting over the internet kind of app but today, it has quadrupled in terms of features and with more than 2 billion units worldwide. No doubt the developers keep on adding new features and today, I will be briefing you about a handful of upcoming features that are either in the making and will be available in a month or two or they have already started rolling out in the beta version.
WhatsApp is adding new privacy-related features
The first feature that is being readied is the ability to leave a group chat without leaving an unwanted tag that highlights that you have left the group. The admin of the group will get a notification although no other members will get notified. It will presumably prevent those unwanted goodbyes between members.
Another feature in the list is screenshot blocking when you set an image or video as ‘View Once’. Unlike sending out a regular image or photo that can be viewed a million times, WhatsApp rolled out the ‘View Once’ feature allowing the sender to restrict recipients from viewing the media file more than once. Of course, the sender can choose between ‘View Once’ or more times but that gives the sender an exceptional power of restriction.
However, there’s no mechanism that prevents the recipient from taking a screenshot, unlike Snapchat which alerts the sender. With the latest update in place, the sender will be notified if the sender snaps a screenshot.
The third feature in the list is to control your online presence. Now you can set who can see if you are online or not. You can go for ‘Everyone; or ‘Same as last seen’ where the settings for the latter will dictate who can see you online.
With WhatsApp beta v2.22.17.12 rolling out for Android, another feature is in the beta stage. You do know that WhatsApp lets you delete a message within one hour (+8 minutes and 16 seconds) of sending it, right? Well, with the latest update, the buffer is two days allowing users to delete their messages within 48 hours. The feature activates after 12 hours of sending the message and stays put till the 48th hour giving you enough time to discover and delete it for XYZ reasons.
You will need to contact the admin of the group if you want to delete a particular message in a group chat. If that’s not all, WhatsApp is also working on editing a sent text message although it remains to be seen when exactly it will be available for the masses.
