WhatsApp will soon let you say your status.
The new status update capability is nested among a batch of upcoming WhatsApp features. According to WABetaInfo (opens in a new tab), the company is working on 10 new tools. Most are currently available via beta Android app with one exclusive for iOS devices.
On Android, WhatsApp is currently testing voice status updates (opens in a new tab) allowing users to record and share voice notes as status instead of plain text. You will have a maximum recording time of 30 seconds, and if you don’t like what you hear, you can dismiss the state before recording another update. The notes are confirmed to be end-to-end encrypted, “ensuring that only people you choose with your privacy settings can hear them.” They also automatically disappear after 24 hours or you can delete them yourself at any time.
However, there are restrictions for the current version of voice status updates. Not everyone who downloads the beta app will get the chance to register updates as it will only be available to a select few. Also, other users will need to have the beta version installed on their phones in order to listen.
Improving chat transfer
Next, the development team is working on a renewed chat transfer (opens in a new tab) feature to safely move your chat history to a new Android device without using Google Drive; effectively eliminating the middleman. The way the migration works is that you first need to open the chat transfer tool on your old phone, then scan a QR code (opens in a new tab) in the copy of WhatsApp of the new device. It appears this is exclusive to Android phones, as according to WABetaInfo, an iOS version is “not planned at this time.”
And the latest notable changes to Android are the new shortcut blocking features. One will allow you to block a person. inside the chat list (opens in a new tab) without having to open the entire conversation while the other allows users to block contacts from within a notification (opens in a new tab). Please note that the latter feature only appears when you receive a message from an unknown source. That way, you won’t accidentally block someone you know.
Exclusive for iPhone
For iOS, WhatsApp is adding tabs to camera in app (opens in a new tab) so you can switch between taking photos or recording videos on the fly instead of holding down the onscreen button. It is unknown if video mode will continue recording after switching to photo mode or if it will stop. Hopefully it’s the former, because it would be disappointing if the recording stops after switching.
Unfortunately, the iOS beta program (opens in a new tab) for WhatsApp is full, so any interested new iPhone owners won’t be able to try out the upcoming camera mode. However, the latest Android beta still has room for testers through the google play store (opens in a new tab). The official release dates remain unknown to all.
While we have it, be sure to check out TechRadar’s recent list of the best free android apps Available through the Google Play Store. It’s a huge list that spans 11 pages and covers education, travel, and camera apps.
