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WhatsApp is bringing back the long-lost swipeable navigation bar
Hopefully, it sticks around for longer this time
WhatsApp introduced a bottom navigation bar to its Android app roughly a year ago to align with the Material Design guidelines. However, this meant that the previous swipeable tabs experience had to go away, although WhatsApp appeared to have a change of heart in June, with swipeable tabs making an appearance in a beta. It didn't take long for the feature to disappear, however, only to make a comeback again in September. WhatsApp then removed support for swipe gestures in subsequent updates, but it looks like the Meta-owned chat app hasn't fully given up on it yet, with the latest beta version marking the reappearance of the swipeable navigation bar.
Google sets a date, feds flex, and WhatsApp goes pin-crazy in this week's news
This week in Android: Samsung makes some questionable choices and the US government chooses violence
The biggest announcements of the year for the Android platform are coming in a matter of weeks, as Google has finally set a date for I/O 2024. At the same time, Apple's dragging its feet, holding Google back from releasing a feature we've been eagerly anticipating for months. But we finally got official word on the next big midrange phone, and it won't be from Samsung — at least in the US. Speaking of, the American government exerted a bit of power on the tech world, and WhatsApp seems to think the pin is mightier than the sword in this week's top five Android headlines.
Privacy and security of user data are high on WhatsApp’s list of priorities, and that perhaps helps the app remain one among the best encrypted instant messaging apps out there. The company recently started testing a new label to emphasize chat encryption, and other recently-released utilities already help keep your chats secure from prying eyes.
WhatsApp status continues its quest to basically just become Instagram stories
Just in case you forgot Meta is in the business of social apps
WhatsApp has been around for close to two decades now, but this year marks ten years under Meta ownership. In this time, Meta’s other social media apps with an instant messaging focus, such as Instagram and Messenger, have had a huge impact on WhatsApp, influencing how Stories, status updates, and ephemeral messages were implemented. Now, it appears, WhatsApp is set to copy another aspect from Instagram by letting users tag their contacts in status updates.
WhatsApp pins its hopes on pinning support, now for up to three messages
Pin this, pin that, pin everything
WhatsApp is one of the hottest instant messaging apps around, but we often lament the lack of feature parity across platforms and how it often trails behind rival apps like Telegram and Signal, even in terms of core features. For years now, WhatsApp has allowed pinning up to three conversations in the Chats tab, and one message in each conversation. The Meta-owned platform upped the pinning limit to five conversations, and now, there’s word the in-conversation message pinning limit is going up as well.
WhatsApp is gearing up to resurrect chat filters this year
The feature was first spotted in development last summer
As one of our favorite messaging apps today, we keep a close eye on the changes coming to WhatsApp. Beta versions often give us a good idea about what's to come from future releases. However, not every beta feature makes it to the stable version. We figured the same fate would befall chat filters, which first surfaced in July last year, offering onscreen buttons above the chat list to sort conversations. We haven't heard much about it since then, apart from a follow-up beta release in September, leading us to believe that it's gone for good. But that doesn't appear to be the case with WhatsApp developers rolling out these filters again in the app's latest beta for Android.
WhatsApp now blocks you from taking screenshots of profile pictures
The feature appears to be rolling out widely
WhatsApp has taken several steps in recent years to bolster the security of its platform and deliver a safer and more secure chat experience. With view-once media, you can use WhatsApp to share private photos and videos with your friends or family without worrying about them forwarding the content to others. They cannot even take screenshots of the view-once media. To further boost user privacy on its platform, Meta is now rolling out screenshot blocking for profile pictures on WhatsApp.
If you live in a region where WhatsApp is the primary messaging app, you'll realize that the chat list can get crowded pretty quickly. This is particularly true today with businesses joining the platform to touch base with their customers (although it's largely just spam). Makers of WhatsApp understood way back in 2017 that the ability to pin your favorite conversations to the top of the chat list should be a thing, but restricted users to just three chats. Nearly seven years have passed since, and WhatsApp is finally getting around to letting users pin two additional conversations, according to the app's latest beta for Android.
WhatsApp is testing a label to specify that your chats are encrypted
The chat app has come a long way since 2021
Encryption is one of the crucial aspects of modern-day messaging apps, ensuring conversations always remain protected. While WhatsApp has offered end-to-end encryption on chats and video calls for a while now, and the chat app has also gradually worked on increasing the visibility of encryption indicators, like the one we've seen in WhatsApp beta releases dating back to 2021. The latest version of the app's beta contains one such indicator directly below the contact or group's name.
WhatsApp may soon let you decide who can use your avatar in stickers
Privacy features for animated avatars were spotted in beta
Meta is continuously rolling out new features for its apps to enhance the user experience, and this applies to WhatsApp perhaps more than any of the company's offerings. The end-to-end encrypted instant messaging service was recently spotted piloting a feature that allows users to transform any image into a sticker, for instance. While this certainly adds another layer of personalization to the app, the usability of such features invites some privacy questions. Now, it looks like Meta could be addressing these concerns before they become problematic.
WhatsApp will unleash all-new Unicode 15.1 emojis on Android
The latest beta includes a phoenix, lime, an edible mushroom, and more
There have been a couple of interesting additions to WhatsApp over the past few days, with a beta version revealing the long-awaited inclusion of a sticker maker/editor. Not much later, we learned that Android could soon start showing WhatsApp calls in the Google Phone app, something that iOS already does with its stock Phone app. Similarly, the all-new Unicode 15.1 emojis are now visible on WhatsApp for Android's emoji keyboard, a feature that made its way to iPhones with iOS 17.4 recently.
Your WhatsApp calls could soon show up in Google Phone’s call log
A deeper WhatsApp-Google Phone app integration might be around the corner
WhatsApp makes it easy to reach out to your loved ones. Besides dropping them a message, you can do a voice or video call to catch up with them. Meta has also steadily improved WhatsApp's calling features to deliver a better experience, including expanded group support and call scheduling. Despite all this, WhatsApp VoIP calls are not given the same treatment as calls made over mobile networks, as they do not appear in the Phone app's call log. Thankfully, this could soon change.
WhatsApp's sticker creator is finally making it to Android
Create your own fun stickers using images
Stickers have been a big part of WhatsApp's feature set since 2018 when it was made available to both Android and iOS versions of the app. Animated stickers made their way to WhatsApp a couple of years later, with not much changing since then, barring some minor improvements. Despite going toe-to-toe with some of the best messaging apps in the business today, the Meta-owned platform didn't allow users to create their own stickers from photos. That could be changing soon for Android users, with the latest beta version of the app featuring a dedicated sticker maker/editor.
How to find your WhatsApp backups in Google Drive
See where WhatsApp keeps backups in Google Drive and your device's storage
WhatsApp's backups protect you from losing chats, media, and stickers. When you connect your Google account with the app, your data syncs to the cloud based on the frequency you select. You can restore what you lost if you accidentally clear your chat history, uninstall the app, or set up a new device. Local backups are also an option if you don't have anything in Drive.
WhatsApp inches closer to enabling chats from third-party apps
The latest WhatsApp beta offers more details on third-party chats
The European Commission's landmark Digital Markets Act (DMA) is set to come into effect by March 6, 2024, and we've already learned how companies like Google plan to comply with the regulation. Meta-owned messaging service WhatsApp is among the few apps designated as a gatekeeper, meaning it has to provide interoperability with other messaging apps like Signal or Telegram before the deadline. We've already seen an under-development version of third-party messaging way back in September. A couple of the app's beta versions over the weekend have revealed how this could be implemented.
WhatsApp wants to make its three-dot menu more intuitive
New icons trials are underway in the latest beta
WhatsApp has maintained its popularity as the best encrypted instant messaging app in terms of sheer number of users. However, its UI on Android is starting to show its age, and in the 10 years under Meta ownership, we’ve seen a few revolutionary new features and functional changes, but nothing visual. We remain hopeful the small changes will add up, though, and the latest beta takes another step towards this modernization with new icons for the overflow menu options.
Here's how WhatsApp got better in February 2024
Channels and Communities keep getting better, but WhatsApp hasn't forgotten about its roots
With Meta at the helm, WhatsApp development has continued to chug along at a steady pace — particularly over the last year, with features being added left and right to help keep up with strong competitors in the encrypted messenger space like Signal and Telegram. February has been no different despite being a short month, so we'll dig into all the biggest changes that have happened so far to help you keep tabs.
Being the most popular instant messaging app in the world, WhatsApp plays a vital role in your life for staying in touch with friends, family, and local businesses. When you go back and forth with several apps and conversations on mobile or desktop, you may accidentally delete WhatsApp messages. The Facebook-owned company offers a neat trick to undelete a message on your iPhone, Android, and desktop.
Reaching a consensus can be bothersome, especially if you have a large WhatsApp group. Getting all members to agree on a restaurant becomes a challenging task, making you wonder if you should drop the idea. WhatsApp helps alleviate stress by letting you create polls within group chats. Ask your question, add multiple options, and let the group decide.
Your WhatsApp stickers could soon look more beautiful
Bring your conversations to life with animated stickers
Modes of expression on our favorite chat apps have expanded far beyond text, images, and videos. Most of the apps support GIFs, customizable sticker packs, and new Unicode emoji added periodically. Meta-owned WhatsApp is no different, but we often complain that it doesn’t stand out from rival apps despite its immense popularity. However, developers seem cognizant, and a recent beta update reveals the ongoing development of animated sticker support.