WhatsApp Beta: A Taste Of Things To Come, For Better Or Worse!
The new update will make WhatsApp leaner, faster and smarter!
Everybody’s beloved messaging app, WhatsApp, is all set to receive a major update, which is going to make it leaner, faster and smarter than ever before.
WhatsApp needs no introduction. From the most tech savvy person to senior citizens, almost everybody uses WhatsApp to stay in touch with their near and dear ones. WhatsApp too has evolved over the years to offer more than just text messaging.
From sharing photos, videos and documents to doing video-calling, WhatsApp does it all. These, among others are some of the many reasons that has made WhatsApp more popular over other platforms.
- Text messaging over internet. So, no SMS charges
- Group chat with up to 256 people at once.
- Ability to share photos, videos, documents, audio files and location.
- Support for Voice Calls and Video Calls.
- End-to-end encryption for all calls and messages for security.
- Cross-platform compatibility. WhatsApp can be used from the web, WIndows, Mac, Android, IOS and Windows Phone.
- Synced chats allow you to continue your conversation from your smartphone to your laptop or personal computer.
All these features have made WhatsApp one of the most used messengers ever.
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What Is WhatsApp Beta?
WhatsApp Beta is the version of WhatsApp where all the new features are first introduced, tested and perfected. The Beta version receives all the new features first!
So, if you want to stay ahead with latest features first, you can sign up for Beta version from here. You’ll have to log in with your Google account, the one which you use for your Google Play, before you can proceed ahead.
Once you click on ‘Become a Tester’, you’ll receive the Beta version update over your smartphone. But, before you sign up to become a Beta tester, it is important to know that the Beta version is unstable and prone to bugs and crashes.
WhatsApp Beta: What’s New?
The latest WhatsApp Beta update, which is package 2.17.375, takes up lesser space while downloading and installing. The almost 6MB decrease in the size is being attributed to elimination of some 20 libraries that were previously added.
The second update is a major one! Whenever you change your cell number, all your WhatsApp contacts will be notified of the update by default. You can either choose to inform all your WhatsApp contacts or a few select ones of your choosing. This is an ideal solution for those people who value their privacy.
This is a major change as now you would not have to go through the onerous task of informing all your contacts of your number change.
Real-Time Location Sharing
This is a big one! Location sharing was already a feature on WhatApp. The new update advances this feature by being able to share your real-time location to selected contacts. This is a great safety feature. If you are alone on a long trip or are simply travelling late at night, you can share your location in real-time with your trusted contacts.
To make it clearer, location sharing just shares your location at a fixed point in time. Real-time location sharing, on the other hand, tracks your location as you are moving along. Your contact will actually see your location as a dot travelling on the map
WhatsApp says,
“This end-to-end encrypted feature lets you control who you share with and for how long. You can choose to stop sharing at any time or let the Live Location timer simply expires”
WhatsApp has put a special emphasis on the fact that users have full control on this new live location sharing feature. Users can share their real-time location with anyone and whenever they want. They can simply stop sharing their location by clicking on “Stop Sharing” option.
If you share your real-time location on a group, all the group members will be able to see your location.
How Does Real-Time Location Sharing Work?
The first thing you need to do, is update your WhatsApp. Once it is updated to the latest version, follow these steps to share your real-time location
- Open the app and open the chat window of the contact or group you want to share your location with.
- In the chat window, scroll down and click on “Location” under “Attachment” icon.
- You will see a new option “Share Live Location”. Click on it to share your real-time location
- Your selected contact or group will now be able to see your live location on a map, in real-time.
So, WhatsApp is set to get even better with these new changes. Do you agree that these changes will make WhatsApp a better messaging tool? What changes would you like to see in WhatsApp? Do let us know in the comments below.
Soon we will be able to transfer money on whatsapp during chat. Whatsapp soon implement upi payment feature so it is a big move and big challenge for other wallet Application.
Please Add a feature in Broadcast that even ur no. is not saved the receipent receives the messages.
WhatsApp online system is a FLAW! It needs a change for example- If a person had set his privacy settings to “none” for his last seen still whenever he comes online it’s visible as “online” to everyone and anyone who wants to keep a track on them they can easily do so be it someone in their contact list or outside their contact list so my recommendation is to completely have a hidden feature to last seen just like we have in “Hike” or in “normal text messages system”. It makes more private for a person to communicate as whenever they come online they are quite safe and things are more privacy stricken and no distractions , as one can be assure that no one would be able to follow them now whenever they are active on WhatsApp.
My second recommendation is to update WhatsApp with a system in which a person’s last seen, status and profile pic to be set by default to my contacts as presently it has three options “my contacts, everyone and nobody” but whereas people are not bothered to change their privacy settings and from years it’s kept to “Everyone” which fails to secure any privacy as they can be seen by anyone without the user’s knowledge.
My third recommendation is to remove the feature of showing the timings “the eye sign” as when a person has read the message sent to them be in group or in personal chat, the blue tick and double ticks system are sufficient enough to know that the messages are delivered what is the point of showing the timings of reading as it creates enough reasons for fights and disloyalty among what people say and what they do. It is not required to meddle in-between relations.also, it gives another clue for a person to track their timing of coming online even if they set their privacy settings to “nobody”.
All the same applies in Facebook even.
I wish, when you check contacts in your what’s app you can see who is online as you can see it in gtalk like a green dot. And it shows since how much time they are offline.
At least a green dot for those who are online
i want the feature to be added is “secrete Chat” and “self destructive” msg option.
Hidden chat feature and make to allow both video calling and chat at a time
Add recall and hide chat features and may be even a Buzz feature of BB was awesome….
As a very old user of WhatsApp and growing technologies, i would request developers here to add feature of liking & commenting on DP. On tapping on our Account we should also be able to see number of contacts and much needed theme customization is must. Once had used Whatsapp+ which had theme based changes. If this can be done none messaging app can ever beat WhatsApp.
WhatsApp need to provide a option to hide chats rather than archive option.
Few features that might add more value
– To forward a message I should be able to create internal alias virtual group which should not be visible to others. Basically logical group to broadcast certain message
– feature to see how many were seen my message or download Ed the pic or video in a group chat
– when WhatsApp call is made regardless of the called party online or offline the call goes. This should be corrected
– when my contact select to hide last seen time can I have a feature set to notify me when that person comes online?
Something to recover WhatsApp images and videos which are being deleted accidentally
In android…d watsapp images and videos get saved in gallery …like ios we dont have the option to off d gallery.so when we download in ios its nt saved until we do..so do bring the same thing in Android version
Thank you
Can u do something to stop showing Online Status
What’s App should have sliding facility like Gmail. Right now one has to go in box again after reading message from one person / number.
Profile pic and lastseen should be visible only to selected persons in contacts.
Please add live video streaming feature like facebook, insta to whatsapp
Please bring back the contact list , it was so nice . The contacts who use watsapp can be seen . Please bring it back .
The most important update WhatsApp must have is CLOUD SERVICE.
Low space on phone doesn’t let users to download pictures and videos. So a CLOUD SERVICE is a must for WhatsApp, just like TELEGRAM app. I love TELEGRAM than WhatsApp, just because the later has CLOUD STORAGE in it.
Hope WhatsApp will bring it.
There should be a facility to unblock a blocked number in emergency.
If someone blocks someone’s number there should be a facility to unblock that number in emergency.
Copy status feature and save images or videos from stories will be helpful.
We should be able to delete a message once sent. The message should be deleted from the recipient’s side before it is read.
there should beOption of deleting status which last for 24 hrs.and hide chat option must bevthere
Usually we log out each and every account but wats up we can’t you can come forward and make the change in that manner ! Plz do it as if possible Right now
Intimating “all” the contacts regarding change in contact number won’t help WhatsApp in getting better. Making them optional/selective will improve one’s privacy…
What’s up needs to have the option to draft a msg. and then choose the persons to whom it is to be sent.
Add the feature of recall the messages and also add hide chat feature…