New WhatsApp features for Android: Group descriptions, search participants and more

WhatsApp has always been evolving with new features and updates since its inception, the Facebook-owned real-time messenger platform has gained a lot of features — some of which have made it an indispensable app for every smartphone user. However, there’s good news once again for Android users as WhatsApp has released several new features that were limited to its Beta release for the platform.

If you are an Android user, you must have noticed that the latest WhatsApp update brings something by the name Group Descriptions in its expanded feature list on the PlayStore. As the name suggests, Group Description now allows participants in a group to write a description about the objective of that group. The idea is to educate new participants about the group while adding them. Anybody in the group can edit the description and anybody can view it once someone opens the group information page. The description can be 512-characters long.

However, that’s not the only addition to the humble free-to-use messenger. Android users can now enjoy the same benefits as their iOS counterparts when it comes to searching for a particular participant within a group. Users can now search for any group member by tapping on the search icon present on top of the Group Info screen.

Apart from that, Android users can now also switch effortlessly from voice to video calls without putting down the call. Users will now see a new button during a voice call that will allow them to switch to a video call at the tap of a button.

These new features are now available as part of an update to WhatsApp for Android. If you haven’t received the update yet, keep checking for new updates on the PlayStore app update screen or register yourself for Beta.

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