WhatsApp added a bunch of new features as part of its latest version, aiming to improve the experience for Android users.
The new set of features comes one week after the app's official beta tester program launched.
The official beta tester program brings several advantages to members, allowing them to get an early taste of what's to come. These include automatic delivery of updates and the capacity to leave the untrusted sources setting unchanged.
Here's what's new with the latest release.
Shared Links
Initially, every WhatsApp chain of conversation has a Media screen that works by aggregating all contents such as videos and images, which are sent and received in the chat box. This tab is where users can easily browse and share memes and videos with the user's peers. It's also a more convenient way to find important documents and files.
The latest version now features a shared links history tab that contains all the shared links exchanged in a one-on-one chat or a group chat, arranged in a reverse chronological order. Each link in the tab comes with a rich preview upper part and a purely message-filled lower part, which originally contained the message where the link was sent.
Tapping the preview at the upper part will allow the user to quickly open the link in the browser. Likewise, tapping the bottom part will lead the user to the message they can share, delete or star.
Through this feature, users will be able to get a quick glance of the links they've received or shared. They can also easily find an article they could have either planned to read again or have wanted to share again.
Copying Links
The latest version also allows users to easily copy a URL without having to worry about copying the entire message content. In the past, users would have to tap and hold the full message where the URL was sent before they could copy the link or forward it to someone.
Clearing A Chat
There are times when a user feels the need to remove old messages as a way to keep everything uncluttered. With the new version, users are given a number of options when it comes to clearing a chat. These include clearing all the chat contents, deleting only messages older than 30 days and deleting even older messages that had been saved in the chat for more than 6 months.
Users who want to keep their starred messages untouched after a planned clearing will also be allowed to do so with the use of a checkbox.
All of these features are available on WhatsApp version 2.12.486. Users can get hold of the latest version either through the APK Mirror or through the Android beta program as a tester.
