Popular Upcoming Features of WhatsApp [2020]

Popular Upcoming Features of WhatsApp [2020]

The rollout of new WhatsApp features is aimed at taking an edge over other similar messaging platforms.

new features of whatsapp

Since the acquisition of WhatsApp by social media giant Facebook, there has been a flurry of updates and changes in one of the most downloaded and used messenger services. It has become a landmark case for instant messaging mobile apps developed by mobile app development services all over the world.
WhatsApp is well known for actively developing multiple features all at the same time. This popular and famed instant messaging platform has been developing new and big features such as dark mode, a brand-new multi-platform system as well as new UI elements.

We are in world social media and the Integration of Facebook and WhatsApp led to the introduction of another new feature rightly called Share to Facebook Story and then there were WhatsApp’s new Status feature and WhatsApp’s call features. Perhaps it is easy to understand some social media apps like WhatsApp and Facebook set to rule yet again this year. Other WhatsApp new features including improvised group privacy settings, along with fingerprint unlock feature and even in-app streaming support for Netflix trailers.

If you are still wondering what’s new on WhatsApp? Keep on reading to know the answer.

Upcoming New WhatsApp Features For 2020

There are a variety of other WhatsApp new features that will arrive in 2020. Some of them are:

1. Work on Dark Mode is still in Progress

WhatsApp’s instant messaging service is getting quite close to attaining its long-awaited WhatsApp dark mode. This new feature on WhatsApp has been spotted on both Android as well as iOS beta. However, the feature is yet to arrive in its completely full-fledged version or even in the testing phase.

It certainly appears that WhatsApp on the iOS will essentially get different versions of the dark theme, which will vary in the black shade’s strength applied across the entire app’s interface. The latest iPhone beta update has also revealed how the default theme WhatsApp will be using.

The user will essentially be able to easily switch to the second configuration, which will modify the entire device accessibility settings. Also, reports are coming that WhatsApp may even launch the dark mode as “Night Mode” officially. This new WhatsApp theme feature should be brought by Android app development services in its own instant messaging app to offer similar features as that of what WhatsApp is trying to achieve.

WhatsApp beta version

2. Work on QR Code Button

Another WhatsApp beta version has the references for the latest QR code button, which would allow the users to easily share their profiles as well as add contacts via specific QR codes.

Tapping the QR code after going through the entire Profile section, WhatsApp would then show the QR code, which would allow other users to add you to their contact list. Also, you would be able to add different other users to your contact list by simply scanning their QR codes using the existing Camera feature on WhatsApp.

This feature of WhatsApp may come sooner than expected as mobile app development services have been developing such a feature for their apps for quite some time.

3. Introducing In-App Browser

In recent months, the Android beta version of WhatsApp was spotted to feature an in-app browser whenever any user tries to open a particular link shared over the app. WhatsApp’s latest feature is disabled by default and is still under development.

Also, the in-app browser feature is currently being created to detect unsafe pages utilizing the “Safe Browsing” feature, which was included in Android 8.1. Essentially, it would readily alert users whenever a page is infected with any malicious content or virus.

4. Boomerang Feature

It has been found that WhatsApp is also developing a Boomerang feature, which will allow the users to create looping videos easily. This particular feature is currently in a development stage and will certainly be available initially for iPhone users, as suggested by the report.

It is also said that this new feature of WhatsApp will reach Android users soon once it is released for iOS. Instagram, the sister of WhatsApp, originally brought its Boomerang app for its users, particularly to allow them to create their own one-second video loops easily. The app is essentially designed to counter Vine from Twitter, which offers video loop segments of six-seconds.

The Boomerang feature will also be available for videos that are less than seven seconds in duration. Also, the video loops which are created via the latest development could easily be shared with any of the WhatsApp contacts via a message or even uploaded as a Status update too. A mobile application development company can utilize a similar WhatsApp feature in its social media app to allow users to share short videos.

Upcoming New WhatsApp Features in 2020

5. Search Image Feature

As per reports, the Android version of WhatsApp is testing a new feature to allow users to easily search for images they have sent or received from their contacts. This new feature in WhatsApp is termed ‘Search Image,’ which would use Google Image Search to search for the same, directly from any chat.
This feature is yet to be included in the instant messaging app, but it has been seen as disabled by default in the WhatsApp beta for Android. On-demand app development has been using the image search feature for a variety of purposes for some time. It seems like WhatsApp is taking a leaf out of this.

6. Advanced Search Feature

The instant messaging application is developing a separate “Advanced Search” feature, which will allow users to easily search for links, photos, audio, videos, and even GIF images along with usual text searches, which are already enabled. The feature will also showcase various recent searches too.

It should be noted that the Advanced Search image feature is essentially separate from the above-mentioned Search Image feature. This feature is currently under development and will roll out to all of the iOS WhatsApp beta latest version of the application users in a near future update.

WhatsApp beta latest version of the application

 7. Grouping Blocked Contacts

In the latest beta update, another WhatsApp feature that is spotted is the inherent ability to segregate blocked contacts into categories easily. It will automatically group the entire blocked contacts list following particularly specific criteria that means all of your business contacts can easily be moved to a separate section.

According to the tracker, the new arrangement will essentially be automatic, and you won’t have to set a contact as business manually. WhatsApp will essentially learn which particular contacts are business, and subsequently, they will be moving in a completely different second section.

In the case of on-demand app development, this has been used to categorize customers and clients as per various attributes.

8. Latest Group Privacy Settings

With testing done over several months, WhatsApp has finally released the updated group privacy settings on a global scale. In order to find these updated privacy settings for the groups, you need to go to the actual Settings Menu and then tap Account, followed by Privacy and Groups.

You will find there ‘My Contacts Except…,’ an option which is adjacent to the existing ‘Everyone’ as well as ‘My Contacts’ options. This particular WhatsApp upcoming feature provides you with the control to easily select which specific contacts you wish to add to your group in instant messages.

Essentially, this change was introduced to curb the number of spam group invites. If a mobile app development company is developing a similar instant messaging app, then it should introduce this particular feature to ensure the spam invites are controlled because it can seriously hamper the user experience of the app.

9. Biometric Authentication for iPhone

WhatsApp has finally introduced biometric authentication support for iPhone users, while Android users will receive it within a few months after many rounds of feature testing. Both iOS and Android users can easily have their apps locked automatically and easily unlocked using their own fingerprints.

Also, users can even choose how much actual time the app will lock in automatically, right from instantly after closing, to just one minute after, or thirty minutes after. Users will be able to choose whether their messages’ content will be visible in the notifications, which include the sender of the message.

WhatsApp beta version

For iOS users, WhatsApp has allowed using Face ID to lock the app. iPhone app development services should inculcate similar WhatsApp features in their instant messaging apps if they choose to develop them.

10. Consecutive Voice Messages Feature for WhatsApp Web and Android

Suggested by name, this feature allows for auto-playing of not just two but mote voice messages sent consecutively. This feature of WhatsApp’s new version was in testing for quite some time before it was made available commercially to Android users. It has already been available to iOS users before. Also,

WhatsApp Web has the inherent ability to listen to consecutive voice messages.

11. Home Tab and Cards for WhatsApp Business

The feature will be available to users of WhatsApp business. The update for the home tab is already in the testing face and is expected to arrive in the WhatsApp beta version 2.19.117 for businesses where your camera will be replaced by the home tab.

Likewise, version 2.19.131 will bring the card option where you will be able to create cards to inform a user what settings he or she can configure in his or her business account.

12. Self Destruct Messages

Another update that users can expect to see on Whatsapp is the option to self-destruct messages. Users will be able to set a timer on the messages and once the timer is over, the message will get deleted automatically, leaving no trace of its existence. The update is expected to come soon on WhatsApp Beta.

13. Animated Stickers

The feature will be part of WhatsApp’s beta latest version 2.20.14, although it isn’t publicly available yet. WhatsApp recently added a new play icon right next to the sticker section to make it quicker for users to use.

14. More Group Members

Earlier WhatsApp allowed the addition of up to 256 members in the group. However, you will soon be able to reach up to 5000 members on a WhatsApp group. This new feature is expected to arrive soon. However, there is no official date yet on when the feature will be arriving.

15. Chat Storage

Earlier switching from Android or iOS to another platform meant losing all chat backup. This is set to change as WhatsApp is set to bring its own chat back option wherein users will be able to switch between two OS platforms without losing any chat.

End Note: WhatsApp Features 2020

Instant messaging apps have become the latest trend, and with the massive popularity of WhatsApp, we have seen how it has changed the way people communicate. Over the years, WhatsApp has brought some of its most striking features, making it the most downloaded instant messaging app on both the Google Play Store as well as the Apple App Store.

In 2020, the above-mentioned new WhatsApp features are predicted to appear. The feature will be packed in with new updates for WhatsApp that will soon be available on the app store.