PHOTO: REUTERS
In the year 2019, the most needed features and updates were added to the app in order to enhance user experience.
Such as the WhatsApp group feature that now seeks approval from the user being added before involving them in the group
So it is not surprising that WhatsApp will be adding new features and updates to the popular messaging service in the year 2020.
Tribune lists down what users can expect from WhatsApp in 2020;
Dark mode
The dark mode trend is slowly taking over social media platforms from Facebook, Instagram, and Gmail offering the same to now WhatsApp waiting to hop on the bandwagon.
Hence, we should finally be seeing the launch of WhatsApp dark mode which was reportedly in the works.
PHOTO: WABETAINFOAccording to wabetainfo, WhatsApp is currently working on a few updates to make sure that the feature is bug-free before it is officially launched and made available to users.
The messaging service giant started working on the dark mode feature soon after the development of the ‘Set by Battery Saver’ option.
Self-destructing messages
WhatsApp is reportedly working on a new feature that will allow users to set a time limit on their message before it disappears.
The feature first appeared in 2.19.275 version of the Android app but WABetaInfo just discovered it while it may not be available to everyone on the beta version just yet.
At moment no news about screenshot / video capture detection.
Seems that WhatsApp is not interested.
I don't know if they are going to implement it in future.
And Disappearing Messages will work on WhatsApp Web too! https://t.co/N1bFrNLPqI
— WABetaInfo (@WABetaInfo) October 3, 2019
This feature enables one to help those who sometimes send a sensitive piece of information that they don’t want to be made available permanently and therefore can set that particular message on a time limit after which the message only will disappear.
PHOTO: WABETAINFOThe good thing about this is though that it will not appear as a deleted message, but will completely be gone without any trace of it left.
Ads
In 2019 at Facebook Marketing Summit held in the Netherlands, social media giant showcased a slideshow of how it plans to add work ads into WhatsApp and by 2020.
Initially, the work ads will be added to WhatsApp status posts in 2020 and full-screen promotion will also be added.
Coming Soon to @WhatsApp...
- WhatsApp Status (Stories) to get Ads in 2020
- WhatsApp for Businesses to get richer messaging format options
- WhatsApp product catalog to be integrated with existing Facebook Business Manager catalog
h/t + 📸 @Olivier_Ptv
at #FMS19 pic.twitter.com/Z5LsbADNbP
— Matt Navarra (@MattNavarra) May 21, 2019
The ads will also enable people to run businesses and also take payments through the messaging app.
No support for old phones
The popular messaging app for many around the globe will stop operating on Windows smartphones by the end of this month.
The bad news doesn’t end there. WhatsApp will stop working on several Android and iPhone devices in the coming months.
From February 1, those who are currently using Android versions 2.3.4 and older will, unfortunately, be unable to continue using the app.
Whereas those who own iPhones running on iOS 8 will also be unable to create new accounts or verify the existing one.
Reverse image search
One of the most exciting new features to be added in 2020 is the reverse image search tool that will help you navigate the source of a picture that you have received originally came from.
The feature is aimed at solving the problem of fake news that spreads through the app such as the recently ‘frequently forwarded’ warning message that was rolled out to WhatsApp users in India.
This article originally published on TechRadar.
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