Best WhatsApp features released in 2022: From Communities to Avatars
What's the story
WhatsApp, which was launched in February 2009, is currently one of the most popular and widely used social media apps.
This year, the Meta-owned app released a slew of new features, some of which were inspired by rival platforms such as Telegram and iMessage.
Here's a list of the top features released by WhatsApp in 2022.
Communities and polls
'Communities' feature clubs related groups in one
The Communities feature makes it easier when you have to convey the same information across multiple groups. You can either start a new community or can merge existing groups into one community, provided you have admin rights.
You can now also create in-chat polls with up to 12 possible answers. The polling results can be tracked from the "View Votes" section.
Calling and more
You can invite other participants to calls with call links
You can now go on a video call with 32 members, four times the previous limit. Group chats have also grown to accommodate up to 1,024 members.
With the 'Call links' option, you can easily invite other people to a group call and WhatsApp displays a banner notification when a new person joins.
The call invite links are valid for 30 days.
Texting and sharing
You can share files up to 2GB on WhatsApp
Similar to Facebook and Instagram, you can react to messages with emojis on WhatsApp as well.
There is a self-messaging feature as well. It works as a one-to-one conversation similar to other chats. To access this feature, open contacts on WhatsApp, and you can find your name displayed at the top.
Additionally, the file-sharing limit has been expanded up to 2GB.
Information
Voice notes can be played without being in the chat
In case you are multitasking, you can also play voice notes on WhatsApp without being in the chat. The voice notes can be played at different speeds. You can also review the voice message before you send them.
Security
The 'accidental delete' feature restores deleted message
WhatsApp has disabled screenshots for the 'view once' messaging option. You can also choose to hide your online status when using the app.
Furthermore, when you leave a group chat, only the admins will be notified. Group admins also have the power to delete unnecessary messages within a group chat.
Recently, the app introduced the 'accidental delete' feature to restore a wrongly deleted message.
Information
Avatars can also be shared within chats
The Meta-owned app also released the Avatars feature on WhatsApp. You can either choose from 36 customizable stickers or create a personalized avatar for your profile photo. They can also be shared in chats.
WhatsApp Shopping
There's a feature where you can directly buy from businesses
There is also a feature where you can directly interact with and buy from vendors on WhatsApp.
You can easily search for a business by category—food, travel, or banking—without having to look up their contact numbers from the websites. Importantly, your information cannot be tracked.
This feature is currently available in Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Indonesia, and the UK.
India
WhatsApp-JioMart shopping feature was launched in August
Meta launched its first end-to-end shopping experience on WhatsApp, in partnership with JioMart, in India in August.
You can browse through the entire JioMart grocery catalog, select and add items to your cart, and make the final payment, all in one go without having to leave the app.
To get started, you simply have to send a "Hi" to +917977079770 on WhatsApp.