WhatsApp is working on two new features that should arrive in the coming weeks or months. Here’s what it’s all about
Despite the tough times we’re experiencing, WhatsApp developers don’t seem to be stopping their work. After having completed the dark mode and put in the pipeline a new tool to block the spread of fake news thanks to an agreement with Google, the technicians are back on two old projects already announced last year: messages that self-destruct and the ability to use the same account on multiple devices.
In the new beta version 2.20.110 for Android there are new references to the two new features of WhatsApp. As usual to give news are the guys at WaBetaInfo who have unearthed in recent days several new features that will arrive in the coming months on WhatsApp. As for the messages that self-destruct, the developers have decided again to change the name of the tool: from “Delete messages” to “Expiring Messages”.
The work also continues to implement as soon as possible support for the use of the same WhatsApp account on multiple devices. The tool will be a real revolution for the application and developers are preparing the first tests to verify the stability of the function. In the coming months it should be officially released on the beta version.
WhatsApp, what are the “expiring messages”
The issue of self-destructing messages on WhatsApp is becoming quite tangled. Initially, the feature was to be called “Disappearing Messages” and was aimed only at group administrators to clean up within conversations. A few weeks ago a new update was released and magically the tool changed its name to “Delete Messages” and became available for one to one conversations as well.
Now with version 2.20.110 of WhatsApp beta for Android comes yet another name change. The tool has been renamed to “Expiring Messages” and can be found in the settings for group administrators. By activating the feature you have the possibility to decide how often to delete messages: one day, one week, one month. When you activate the tool, a clock appears in the icon of the group profile photo, symbolizing the self-destruction of messages.
WhatsApp, how to use the same account on multiple devices
We have already talked several times about the work of developers to implement a truly innovative feature: using the same WhatsApp account on multiple devices. For the application it would be a real revolution: at the moment each smartphone is associated with only one WhatsApp account linked to the phone number. In the future it won’t be like that: users will be able to use the same profile even on different smartphones that have different phone numbers.
The guys at WaBetaInfo have unearthed a screenshot showing the first changes made to the app by the new tool. When you activate WhatsApp on a new device, a message appears on the chat in yellow highlighting the fact that the profile is active on multiple devices. These are the first glimpses of one of the features that WhatsApp is banking on the most.
When will the new WhatsApp features be available
For the moment, the two new features are still under development and the guys at WaBetaInfo have managed to get the first images of the two tools. It’s hard to make predictions about an eventual release: you can be sure that they will arrive by the end of 2020 and probably even earlier. Also according to WaBetaInfo, at the moment the technicians are focusing on the possibility of using the same WhatsApp account on multiple devices and the implementation of payments. Then they will focus on all the other new features.