As of July 2021, 2 billion users were accessing WhatsApp messenger every month, making it one of the most popular mobile social media applications worldwide.
WhatsApp has undergone a lot of criticism from users and authorities after it rolled out its new update earlier this year. This update required users to agree to its term and conditions to continue using WhatsApp’s service.
The outrage against this new update forced the company to roll back its requirement for agreeing to its usage policy if a user wanted to continue with the mobile application.
WhatsApp regularly updates and introduces new features to make the app exciting for its users. WhatsApp plans to include 3 new features for its users in the next update(s).
Listen to Voice Messages while using other Apps
Currently, you can’t listen to WhatsApp voice messages and use other applications at the same time. The playback stops the moment you open any other application.
It is going to change.
According to sources in the company, WhatsApp has started testing a new feature that will allow users to listen to voice messages while using other applications on their smartphones.
WhatsApp will introduce a playback window that will be pinned to the top of the application with a pause/play option during playback.
You can also store messages until they are received as a part of a multi-device feature, which allows accessing WhatsApp through the browser without turning on the smartphone data. The company is testing a feature that will allow you to store recently sent messages on its servers so that all of your devices can download them.
Don’t worry. These messages will still remain end-to-end encrypted.
Self-Disappearing Messages
The self-disappearing message feature is already available. You can turn on this feature for individual chats by touching the contact picture and then turning the disappearing messages on in the options. This feature automatically deletes messages from chats after 7 days.
The new update in this feature will include a 24 hour or 90 days option. This feature has already gathered a lot of appreciation from mobile app users. Moreover, WhatsApp has also introduced a one-time viewing option for images that works on the Snapchat model.
WhatsApp to stop Working on older Devices
WhatsApp announced that it would end support and updates for many older Android phones from November 1. Phones using Android 4.0.4 or lower will no longer receive updates or support from the social media giant.