#TechBytes: 5 new features you can try on WhatsApp
What's the story
Today, WhatsApp dominates as an unmatched player in the messaging arena; it serves over a billion users thanks to its simple UI and security features.
But, in order to maintain this user-base and stay ahead of the competition, the Facebook-owned company has also been pushing some useful new capabilities both through beta and stable releases.
Let's take a look at some of them.
Feature #1
Group privacy controls to prevent unwanted blocking
Group privacy control is probably one of the best features released by WhatsApp (stable) in the last few months.
The option, accessed from the privacy tab in account settings, lets you block unwanted people from adding you into groups.
You can pick anyone between 'everybody, my contacts, and nobody' to define who could add you into groups.
Feature #2
Biometric security to keep WhatsApp locked
WhatsApp has also added biometric authentication, a way to lockdown the messaging app and prevent third-party access.
The feature is already available for iPhone users who can use Face ID/Touch ID on their devices, while the Android version is in beta.
Notably, the capability will also let you choose when the app would lock: immediately after use or after 1, 10, 30 minutes.
Feature #3
Send 30 audio files at once
This particular feature rolled out with WhatsApp beta version 2.19.89, gives users a new interface for sending audio files.
Basically, unlike the current audio sharing interface, the new UI from WhatsApp lets you send as many as 30 audio files at once.
Plus, you can see the album art associated with every audio selected and a button to play/pause it before sending.
Feature #4
Dark mode for better experience, battery saving
WhatsApp has also released a dark mode for the messaging app, but you'll need its latest Android beta (v2.19.87 or newer) to try it.
The feature recolors the app and most of its pages, including those chats and settings, with a dark grey shade.
This way, you can save battery and using the app becomes much more convenient, especially at night.
Feature #5
In-app browsing capabilities
WhatsApp's Android beta version 2.19.74 also gives a glimpse of an in-app browser.
The feature, as the name suggests, lets users open links within WhatsApp itself, instead of redirecting the user to a third-party browser like Chrome or Opera.
The capability is similar to how links open within the Facebook app and certainly enhances your WhatsApp experience.