WhatsApp continues to release more new features to further separate itself from other popular free messaging apps like WeChat and Line. Now, rumor has it that the latest feature that could be added would make it even easier and quicker to add multiple friends to a chat at once.
WhatsApp is reportedly working on adding a few ways users can send group invites. These include QR codes, NFC tags and links.
Currently, new friends can send an invite to users not already on the platform by going to Settings > Tell a Friend > and selecting mail, message, Facebook or Twitter. This will then send a link for them to sign up to WhatsApp. When users want to start a group, they tap on "New Group" and then add participants one by one.
However, according to a screen shot from Android Police, it looks like users will be able to send a group invite via a link to allow users to group chat without any hassle.
However, links aren't the big deal here. Instead, the focus is on QR codes and NFC tags. We can only assume that WhatsApp will give users their own scan-able QR code so that their friends can add them without having to manually search for them. Maybe these codes will also be available for group chats so friends can join in on the chat one, two, three. QR codes are becoming much more common in apps, and are used to add friends on WeChat and Snapchat.
NFC (near-field communication) tags store information that can be transferred to another NFC device. You might have heard the term NFC used before when talking about mobile payments. This is the same idea, only apply the tech to WhatsApp. The tags can be in the form of stickers.
Integrated QR codes and NFC tags would make it easier for members to send a link to a group chat instead of having to invite each person separately. It would also be beneficial for businesses to get more people to add them or chat with customers without having to give out phone numbers.
Although there was enough code to think that these features are seriously being worked out, it's important to remember that some features don't actually live to see launch.
WhatsApp is also reportedly working on its video calling feature that would also include some form of voicemail. Most recently, screen shots of the video calling feature were released after beta users with iOS noticed the new addition.
It's only a matter of time before we possibly see these new features get added to the app.
WhatsApp is available to download for free for iOS and Android.
Source: Android Police
Photo: Microsiervos | Flickr
