WhatsApp on Thursday announced a collection of recent updates and tools across its Chats, Calls, and Updates tabs.
Chats Enhancements
- Animated Emojis: Emojis sent in chats now feature movement to make conversations more engaging (❤️ 💕 💯 😎 😉 ✨ 😘)
- Animated Sticker Maker: Users can convert their favorite videos into animated stickers for more expressive messaging.
- Avatar Social Stickers: These stickers can be shared in one-on-one chats only with contacts who have an avatar and are saved as contacts by default.
- Simplified Group Creation: Users can create a new group by simply providing a group name initially, with the option to add members or share an invite link later.
- Caption, React, and Reply to Multiple Media: When sending multiple photos or videos together, a single caption can be applied, and recipients may react or reply to the entire set or individual media items.
Calls Tab Updates
- New Filters and Effects: Six new filters and six visual effects have been added for video calls and photos taken during calls to enhance user experience.
Updates Tab Features
- Photo Polls on Channels: Channel administrators can now include photos within poll options, making polls more interactive.
- Star Channel Updates: Users may star preferred updates to revisit them easily at any time.
- Mention Groups on Status: In addition to individual mentions, users can now mention entire groups in their status updates. All group members receive notifications and can reshare the status on their own profiles.
Availability
These features will roll out gradually and are expected to be available to all WhatsApp users on both Android and iOS platforms in the upcoming weeks.