Major features coming to WhatsApp

 WhatsApp may soon allow music sharing on video calls and change app’s theme colour

 

Meta Platforms has several new features in the pipeline for its instant messaging service, WhatsApp. When a WhatsApp user plays an audio on their device during a video call, all the participants of the call will be able to hear it. WhatsApp is expected to roll out two major features for its Android and iOS users soon. The Meta-owned messaging platform will let users share audio during the video calls. It will also let users change the app’s default green colour theme. The feature is currently being tested by beta users. The report reveals that when a user plays an audio on their device during a video call, all the participants of the call will be able to hear it. Notably, the feature is not limited to one-to-one video calls. The company regularly adds new capabilities to its mobile app to match its primary rival, Telegram. However, WhatsApp also has a significantly larger user base and must take great care before rolling out new features. As per estimates, WhatsApp had around 2.7 billion monthly active users in 2023, the most of any mobile chat app.

As per former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, “Every problem we have, is a problem at scale”. Although they are different companies, Google’s status as the world’s most popular search engine also means it has a vast reach, and any changes to its products affect billions of people. The consequences of a botched update, inconvenient design change, or disliked new feature can badly hurt a brand. WhatsApp already allows users to share their screen. With the addition of audio sharing, users might soon be able to consume content together, like watching Reels or movie together. This feature is currently in the testing phase.

Those eagerly seeking new functionality on WhatsApp can get an early preview from an online publication that focuses solely on WhatsApp. The website delivers near-daily updates discussing the latest changes and new features in WhatsApp Betas on Android, iOS, desktop and the web, and even some features are still under development. WhatsApp uses beta apps to test out features with a smaller user base before a potential wider rollout, so these are not guaranteed to make their way to general users. However, many do eventually land with updates to the official app, typically after a few weeks of becoming available in a beta. Following are the details of the major new features possibly coming to WhatsApp shortly in the coming weeks:-

Share video or music in video calls

Several versions of the WhatsApp for Android beta, including the WhatsApp Business beta for Android 2.24.1.19, lets some users share videos or songs on their device live during a call. The feature works for individual and group calls and effectively creates a virtual movie-watching or content-sharing session. The ability would go a long way towards promoting a “sense of togetherness” and “intimacy” in calls.

Custom themes

Some users were not impressed after WhatsApp released a new interface with updated colours and icons in the WhatsApp beta for iOS 23.21.1.70, expressing a preference for the previous theme. WhatsApp has listened to this feedback and is currently developing a section which allows users to choose between five colours as the main branding colour of the app. The colours currently available in the development are the default green, blue, white, pink or purple. WhatsApp could also allow users to change the colour of their chat bubbles in the “distant” future. According to the report, “One of the primary advantages of this new feature leads in the freedom it gives users to express themselves through a different colour. With a set of 5 available options, users can select a main branding colour that resonates with their personality or simply makes the app more visually appealing to them."   WhatsApp might also give you a choice to change the colour of the green text bubble. There is a chance that users would be able to change the colour of these bubbles with the set of 5 given options. This will make the app visually appealing to users, since they will have better control over how their app should look.

Meta Verified badges for businesses

For companies who want to enhance the “trustability” of their WhatsApp Business accounts, WhatsApp is developing a Meta Verified badge similar to those available on Facebook or Instagram. The indicator will help users determine whether a WhatsApp Business account is legitimate or might be run by a scammer posing as the company. The Meta Verified badge will require a subscription that replaces WhatsApp Premium, the service would give users a custom business link and the ability to link up to 10 devices to the same account. Meta Verified will also include these features, but its pricing is still not confirmed.

WhatsApp chats storage on Google Drive 

Recently, WhatsApp announced that it is ending free Google Drive storage space offered to Android users to store WhatsApp chats, images and more media files. With this update, WhatsApp data stored on Google Drive will be counted in the 15GB storage on the Drive. If the users run out of storage, they will have to buy more using Google One subscription.