The Best New WhatsApp Features You Might Have Missed
- Download: WhatsApp for Android (Free)
- Download: WhatsApp for iOS (Free)
The Best New WhatsApp Features of 2020
Group Video and Voice Calls
WhatsApp voice calls and video calls are completely free. And now you're no longer limited to just chatting with each other thanks to a WhatsApp video feature. WhatsApp group voice and video calling allows you to talk to three other people at the same time.
To initiate a group call, you must first call someone. Once the call arrives, tap a little user icon in the upper right corner of the chat to add another participant. You cannot add two additional participants at once, so only add them one after the other.
It works seamlessly and is as reliable as making one-on-one voice calls. Of course, if you want to talk to more than four people, you can use Appear.in instead.
“Catch Up” on Group Chats (And More)
Every WhatsApp user knows that their groups can do things with more features, whether it's to protect themselves from loud noises or to easily catch chats. WhatsApp has recently made a number of improvements to group chats that address key issues.
- Catch-up: When you are mentioned by someone, or if you were away, a new @ button appears in the bottom right corner of the chat. It's easy to catch something you missed.
- Protection From Re-Adding: WhatsApp groups do not require your consent to add you to a group. Now, if you leave this group, the administrator can't add you back immediately.
- Description: For more formal groups, there is a descriptive field where administrators can set basic rules or define the purpose of the group.
- Participant Search: An easy search field to find anyone.
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Delete Messages to “Unsend” Mistakes
Who of us didn't want to take something back? WhatsApp is finally avoiding embarrassing situations by allowing you to delete messages in any chat. Here's how:
- Long press to select a message.
- From the options bar that appears, tap the Trash icon.
- Choose whether you want to delete only for yourself or for everyone.
Like Gmail's "unsent" option, this feature is time-bound. It's not clear how long it will take you to delete a message, but you certainly can't delete text throughout the day. So the sooner you delete it the better.
Check Which Chats Are Using Up Storage Space
Share Your Live Location
Set a WhatsApp Status
- To see the next or previous status of a contact, tap on the right or left side of the screen, respectively.
- To go to the next contact status, swipe left.
- To comment on a status, swipe up.
- You can send the status individually to a person or a group chat you’re part of.
- You can add it as your public status, which is seen by all of your contacts.
- Tapping the cog wheel next to “My Status” in Android, or the “Privacy” setting in iOS, lets you choose specific contacts to share with.
- You can also choose to share the status with everyone except a few specific contacts.
And just like WhatsApp encrypts all messages, Status updates are also protected from snooping eyes.
Two-Factor Authentication
Change Numbers and Keep Your WhatsApp Data
Search and Share GIFs
Send Offline Messages on iPhone
Share Up to 30 Photos
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Tag Individuals in Group Chats With @ Mentions
When you type the @ symbol in a group chat, a menu will pop up listing all the people in that group. Select the person you want. Now that person will receive a notification that they have been mentioned in the chat.
Notifications from @ mentions show up even if the person has muted the group chat. For your own @ mentions, you might see your phone number instead of your name. To fix this, add yourself as a contact in your smartphone’s address book.
Send and Receive GIFs
Snapchat-Style Image Editing
- Emoji Icon: Add an emoji to the image. You can also visit them.
- Text Icon: Add some funky text to your image.
- Paint Brush: After choosing the color, draw on your picture with your finger.
New Ways to Shoot Photos and Videos
- When you use the front-facing camera to take selfies, you can now switch to "Flash". This completes your screen and adds more light to your face.
- In camera mode, tap twice on the screen to switch between front and rear cameras. It works for both video and photo.
- When shooting videos, slide two fingers up or down the screen to zoom in or out, respectively.
Quote Messages for Clear Replies
Make Text Bold, Italics, and Strikethrough
Control Your Privacy on WhatsApp
Control Download Settings for Data or Wi-Fi
WhatsApp is aware of how many of its users are worried about the amount of data it uses while connecting to the internet through 4G. A new setting allows you to minutely control this data usage.
Go to Options (Three-dot icon) > Settings > Data and Storage Usage and you will find extended options to control how and when media is auto-downloaded. So when you’re using mobile data, you can set it to download only images; while roaming, no media; and when you’re on Wi-Fi, to download everything.
There’s also an option for “Low Data Usage” when making a WhatsApp Voice Call, although this was already present in earlier versions and is not new.
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