7 New WhatsApp Features

WhatsApp recently joined the 1-billion users club. The Facebook-owned WhatsApp has now become almost the de facto mode of communication in many countries around the globe. The regular updates the app gets has gone a long way in bolstering its user base.

The popular instant messaging app has received a slew of new features in the past few months. Here's a glance at 7 such cool features you should know about.

Document sharing

A new WhatsApp update has added the document sharing feature on Android smartphones. The document sharing feature, so far, allows users to only share PDF files. This means that there is no support for .doc, .xls and other commonly used file formats as of now; there is also no official word on when the company will start supporting these.

In order to share files, users need to tap the attachment icon on the top right of the screen in a chat window and select the 'Document' option. This opens a list of PDF files stored in the system, but the navigation does not let you open specific folders.

Google Drive, Dropbox, iCloud Drive integration in iOS

WhatsApp has released an update for iPhones that adds new features like sending files from Google Drive and Dropbox as well as lets users zoom in on videos as they play.

One big feature of this update (v 2.12.14) is the integration of iCloud Drive, Google Drive, DropBox, OneDrive etc to send files to other contacts. This means that users can send photos and videos stored in cloud storage services directly from WhatsApp. However, other files stored in the cloud, like Excel sheets or Word documents, still cannot be sent via WhatsApp.

Group member limit increased from 100 to 256

WhatsApp recently increased the number of users one can have in a group to 256. This number previously was restricted to 100. The update is available to both iOS and Android app users.

Shared link, history tab

Every WhatsApp conversation thread has a media screen that aggregates all our content such as videos, links and images, which have been sent and received by a user. A new update gives users a quick glance at all these media and text exchanged. It brings a shared links history tab that contains all the shared links sent and received by the user arranged in a reverse chronological order. The link in the tab shows the media at the top and messages at the bottom.

Tapping the preview in the upper part of the screen quickly opens the link in the browser while tapping at the bottom leads the user to the message that he/she can share, delete or star directly from here.

Pinch to zoom videos

This one is for iOS users. With the new update, iOS users can 'pinch to zoom' on videos. This means users can zoom on a video while it is playing in WhatsApp.

Become a WhatsApp 'tester'

This is the best way to become a WhatsApp pro. WhatsApp recently launched a beta tester programme. Once signed, as a tester, you will receive an update that includes a testing version of the WhatsApp Messenger app. However, as with all beta versions, these features too may be unstable or have a few bugs.

However, so far the programme is only for Android users.

Keep starred messages while clearing chat

This feature gives you more flexibility while deleting your chats. So far, Android users have the option to delete messages older than 30 days or over 6 months. However, often felt if you could save some of these. You have the option now: Users can keep starred messages while clearing chats. This version is so far in beta mode.

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