WhatsApp’s latest beta version has been launched on the Android platform, with certain additions and enhancements, primarily that of pinned chats and a new VoIP interface.
This new feature comes after the company improved its live location sharing feature; WhatsApp has made significant changes to its calling interface within the app. The app contains updated aesthetics thus bringing it closer to Google’s vision of Material Design, giving it a cleaner more minimalist look for both video and audio calls.
Other feature that is in the works is the ability to pin a chat at the top of your app. Basically, if you chat with a lot of people everyday but have one or two you always need to talk you, you can pin these chats of the top of your conversation list with a simple click and hold menu. In beta testing, this feature has a limited value of three pins, and is expected to make the jump to the app soon.
Well known WhatsApp leak specialist WABetaInfo also spotted a few other goodies which may be on the way — for example a video-GIF converter button when shooting within the app.
Additionally, the twitter handle also claimed to have spotted “hidden references in WhatsApp Web about iPad and iPod compatibility.” The tip seems to point towards the messaging app which may eventually make the jump to the iPad as well, possibly by linking to your WhatsApp account the way WhatsApp Web works. However the question of whether it will be implemented or not is an unanswered question.
These features were spotted in the WhatsApp Beta app but interested users can check them out be warned that it will most certainly be a buggy experience. Hence its not advisable so don’t experiment unless you know what you’re doing. However, you can likely expect these features to cross over to the main app within a month’s time.
