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WhatsApp may have almost 3 billion users, but it’s not a big cash cow for Meta as you might expect. Unlike Instagram, which rakes in money from ads, WhatsApp makes only a tiny fraction of the revenue. But Meta has some plans to change that.
Meta wants to make money by bringing businesses to WhatsApp Business, and it has been working hard to do that. Just look at 2023, which saw so many new features on WhatsApp that it’s hard to keep up. But don’t worry, we have got you covered with this article.
If you want to share your thoughts with your friends without the hassle of typing, WhatsApp has got you covered with its new voice status feature. Now you can record and post voice messages on your status – they stay up for 24 hours just like Instagram stories. All you have to do to create one is go to the Status tab, tap the pencil icon, and press and hold the mic icon.
Have you ever lost track of an important chat in the sea of messages on WhatsApp? That won’t be happening again with the new pin messages feature that lets you keep up to three chats at the top of your list for easy access. To pin a chat, just tap and hold it, and then tap Pin chat on Android. On iOS, you can do the same by simply swiping right on the chat.
We all make mistakes sometimes, especially when we are typing fast on WhatsApp. Maybe you misspelt a word, forgot to add something important, or accidentally sent a message to the wrong person. Don’t worry, WhatsApp has got your back with its new edit messages feature. This feature lets you edit any message you have sent within 15 minutes of sending it. Just long-press on the message and choose Edit from the menu.
If you have more than one phone and want to use WhatsApp on both of them, you can now do so with WhatsApp’s new companion mode. This feature lets you link your existing WhatsApp account to another phone, so you can access your chats on both devices. For instance, if you have an Android phone and an iPhone, you can link them together and use WhatsApp on both of them. To use companion mode, just launch WhatsApp on your second phone, select “Or link this device to an existing account” and scan the QR code.
Do you have some chats that are too spicy for prying eyes? Now you can lock them up with a password and keep them hidden from the rest of your WhatsApp conversations. Only you’d be able to access these chats as they require your phone’s authentication method to unlock, such as a passcode, Face ID, or fingerprint. Locked chats get moved to a separate folder called Locked chats. And don’t worry, when someone sends you a message in a locked chat, the notification will only show as WhatsApp: 1 new message. No names, no previews. To access the chat lock feature, head to the chat info and tap Chat lock.
We all know that WhatsApp is notorious for compressing the heck out of your photos and videos, making them look like they were taken with a potato. That changes with the new “HD quality” option that lets you share media without sacrificing any pixels.
To send HD quality media, just look for the HD icon above when you’re about to send a photo or video. Be warned, though: sending HD media will consume more data and storage space than usual.
If you’re tired of getting random calls from strangers on WhatsApp, you’ll love this new feature. You can now block or silence calls from unknown numbers by changing your privacy settings.
An unknown number is someone who is not in your contacts list or who has never messaged you before. To turn on this feature, go to Settings > Privacy > Calls > Silence Unknown Calls. You’ll still see missed calls from unknown numbers in your call log, but your phone won’t ring or vibrate when they call.
WhatsApp Channels is one of the latest addition to the Meta-owned messaging app. It lets you follow posts and updates from your favorite social media creators, celebrities, and organizations on various topics and fields. You can access channels from the bottom tab of your phone, through the Updates tab.
Whether you’re into sports, music, fashion, or politics, you’ll find something that interests you on WhatsApp Channels. You can also interact with the channel owners by liking, commenting, or sharing their posts.
WhatsApp has been testing a new design for its Android app for a while now, one that makes it look more like its iOS counterpart with a bottom navigation bar. This layout is finally rolling out to everyone now.
But WhatsApp is not done with UI changes just yet. WABetaInfo reports that another major UI overhaul is coming soon, one that will incorporate several Material Design 3 elements, such as an all-white theme.
Sometimes you need to show something on your phone to someone else, but sending screenshots is too tedious or impractical. That’s where screen sharing comes in handy. This feature was first released to WhatsApp beta testers in May 2023, and now it’s available for everyone to use. It lets you share your phone screen with another person during a video call.
Using it is simple. Just start a video call with a contact and tap the screen-sharing icon at the bottom of the screen (it looks like a phone with an arrow on it).
