This year has a great deal in store for WhatsApp users, with more on the horizon for the year ahead. Picture: AFP
META-owned instant messenger WhatsApp has in recent months launched a series of updates with the early parts of this year showing no signs of the platform slowing down.
Previous updates, especially those implemented throughout 2022, saw the company make greater strides in community engagements through enhancing groups and their functionality, such as increased file and group sizes.
2022 also marked one of the most promising for WhatsApp’s user privacy features, with the much-anticipated, hiding of online status introduced to the platform.
Despite this, 2023 shows a great deal in store for WhatsApp users, with more on the horizon for the year ahead, with some information expected to be announced by Meta for its subsidiaries at the upcoming Mobile World Congress, slated for the end of February.
While scores of new changes are making their way to the platform, independent WhatsApp monitor WABetaInfo say fans of the platform can only be left excited with features promising better functionality for the app.
Here are six changes expected to be introduced by WhatsApp in the coming weeks:
1. Migration
An upcoming update to the platform has promised functionality to migrate chat history to a new Android device. This means it will be easier for Android users to retain chat information when changing Android smartphones or upgrading their devices.
2. Reporting contact statuses
WhatsApp is reportedly working on the ability to report status updates to the moderation team to maintain the safety of both the platform and its users for a future update of the Android app.
3. Proxy
The instant messenger is also releasing the ability for users to connect to the service by using a proxy server, an alternative way to connect to WhatsApp when it is blocked by government censorship in some countries where the app may be banned.
4. Bookmarking
WhatsApp is working on introducing a bookmark icon for disappearing messages for a future update of the Android app, which is expected to help users find important messages or ones that have been previously saved.
5. Privacy review
WhatsApp may soon offer its users a reminder when contact lists change, allowing users to review privacy settings to exclude new contacts from seeing information on the platform.
6. Prevent video call screen recording
With user privacy on the rise, WABetaInfo suggests that WhatsApp could soon offer users the ability to prevent video calls from being recorded for added privacy.
IOL Tech
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