Three new features are coming to WhatsApp. New colors, music in statuses, and more
Popular messaging app WhatsApp continues to innovate with new features to improve the way we communicate. After allowing users to reply to messages faster and create more custom stickers, Meta continues to introduce new features, and today we’re talking about three of them: a trick for unread messages, music in statuses, and more colors.
You will be able to see how many unread messages you have in any chat.
According to WaBetaInfo, this feature displays a small number next to each chat filter (personal, group, or created category) to inform users of the number of unread messages. Now, you no longer have to open each chat filter to check your unread messages, as the number displayed next to each filter is what indicates that. It is currently available in the WhatsApp beta version on Android, but will be rolled out to more people in the coming weeks.
Music reaches WhatsApp statuses
Users can add music to their statuses. When an audio clip is added to photos, it becomes a 15-second video, but it is also possible to add it directly to videos, as explained by specialized media.
This new development comes after the agreement reached by Universal Music Group with Meta, which allows users to have the same music catalog as Instagram. In this case, it is available in the beta version of WhatsApp and will soon reach more people.
More colors in call and group chat icons
This update replaces the gray icons in individual and group chats that don’t have a profile picture with more colorful alternatives. WaBetaInfo says the default colored icons for chats without a profile picture help users identify conversations more easily. For individual chats, WhatsApp creates an icon that includes the first letter of the contact’s name, though if the contact doesn’t have a specific name, a simple person-shaped shape will be displayed.
Group chats are represented by an icon showing two person-shaped characters with a background color, while communities are represented by an icon showing three characters. It's available in WhatsApp beta, but will reach more users in the coming weeks.