WHATSAPP has added a clever way to find lost texts between you and your pals – as well as a new type of photo you can send.
The makers of the chat app have revealed a list of new features added to WhatsApp in a major update.
3
There are at least four new features arriving on your iPhone or Android.
First up is a new way to find texts that you’d forgotten about or thought you’d lost.
WhatsApp is making it much easier to track down those old messages in long-forgotten group chats.
That’s because there’s a brand new way to search for them.
“Group chat names sometimes get so creative that they can be hard to remember,” WhatsApp noted.
“Now, just search for someone you know that’s in the group in your Chats tab, and it will display the groups you have in common.”
Just tap in a contact’s name in the search bar and you’ll see all of the groups that you’re both members of.
Another big update is the introduction of a new type of photo: Live Photos.
If you’ve got an iPhone, you might know that Live Photos have been available for a while.
They capture a second of video before and after you press the shutter button.
Then you can press down on them in the Apple Photos app to watch them animate.
And they even store audio so you can hear what was happening at the time.
Google has a very similar feature called Motion Photos on Android phones.
Now WhatsApp has finally added support for Live Photos, so you can share them in their true form – rather than just sending them as plain old stills.
3
“Now you can share Live Photos (iOS) and Motion Photos (Android) that capture life just as it is,” WhatsApp said.
“Complete with sound and movements – meaning you can share richer moments with friends on any platform.”
But be warned: Live Photos do come with audio attached.
So make sure that you weren’t saying anything private as you snapped the photo – otherwise the recipients will be able to hear it too.
HOW TO SPOT SUSPICIOUS TEXTS ON WHATSAPP
Here’s WhatsApp’s official list of red flags…
- Typos or grammatical mistakes
- Asks you to tap on a link, activate a new feature through a link, or download an app
- Asks you to share your personal information, like credit card or bank account numbers, birth date, or passwords
- Asks you to forward a message
- Asks for money or claiming that you have to pay to use WhatsApp
- Pretends they’re someone you know
- The message is about the lottery, gambling, a job, an investment, or a loan
- Chats with you to gain your trust before asking for personal information
Picture Credit: Meta / WhatsApp
On top of that, WhatsApp has also added new sticker packs.
They include “Fearless Bird”, “School Days”, and “Vacation”, which contains “cute characters”.
And lastly, there’s a very useful feature that lets you scan documents.
This was already available for iPhone owners, but it’s now landed on Android phones too.
3
“Now you can scan, crop, save and send documents directly from WhatsApp on Android devices,” Meta-owned WhatsApp said.
If you want the latest features, make sure to update the WhatsApp app inside the Apple App Store on iOS or the Google Play Store on Android.
And if you don’t see all of the features right away, don’t panic. Sometimes new features take a few days (or even weeks) to fully finish rolling out to everyone.
