Popular services Netflix and WhatsApp are planning for an enterprise level partnership, under which Netflix will send content recommendation to its subscribers on WhatsApp. The feature is being tested with a few users in India.
This was first reported by Killer Features, and was later confirmed by Gadgets360 as well. Also the publication has shared a screenshot showing the upcoming integration.
As you can see in the screenshot, the new opt-in feature requires Netflix subscribers to have a WhatsApp account to enable notifications. In case they opt for "I'M IN" Netflix will send account messages and suggestion on what to watch to the registered WhatsApp number. It is not known what other solution will be shared, but we can expect Netflix to share details about upcoming TV shows/movies, timings and send reminders as well.
Netflix's partnership with WhatsApp leverages the latter's business platform that was introduced in September to monetize the instant messaging service. This is not first of the kind partnership. Earlier WhatsApp teamed up with BookMyShow and Goibibo for sending the confirmation of ticket on WhatsApp.
For WhatsApp India is the most important market, where it has over 200 million users as of February 2017, and the number likely to be doubled by the end of this year. In April WhatsApp affirmed that India will play a crucial role in boosting its business model.
WhatsApp's farewell note for 2017 is not good news for users of handsets with outdated operating system. The Facebook owned popular messaging service has announced that it will drop support for devices running BlackBerry OS, BlackBerry 10 and Windows Phone 8.0 or older version from December 31, 2017, which is less than a week from now.
Do note that in the case of Windows Phone, WhatsApp is ending support for Windows Phone 8.0 and older version, so users on Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 Mobile will be able to access WhatsApp.
Microsoft has already given up on its mobile operating system, whereas BlackBerry is no longer manufacturing phones with its software, so the announcement does not come as a surprise.
Having said that, WhatsApp has also confirmed that it will continue to work on Nokia S40 until December 31, 2018. And for Android 2.3.7 (Gingerbread) and older version the support will be ceased from February 1, 2020.
WhatsApp earlier ended support for Android 2.1, Android 2.2, iPhone 3GS or any iOS 6 device, Windows 7.0 and Nokia Symbian 60 platforms.
“We
will no longer actively develop for these platforms, some features may
stop functioning at any time,” WhatsApp said. “These platforms don’t
offer the kind of capabilities we need to expand our app’s features in
the future. If you use one of these affected mobile devices, we
recommend upgrading to a newer OS version, or to a newer Android running
OS 4.0+, iPhone running iOS 7+, or Windows Phone 8.1+ so that you can
continue using WhatsApp,” it added.
Source | Via
WhatsApp has`updated its app for the iOS platform adding two new features. The latest update bring YouTube PiP mode for watching a video without leaving WhatsApp, and more convenient way to record long audio messages.
Now when you receive a link to a YouTube video, you can play it right within the the app, without having to leave it, thanks to Picture-in-Picture mode. So you'll now be able to watch the YouTube video as well as navigate to another chat at the same time.
Next, WhatsApp's voice message function is getting refreshed. Earlier you had to hold the mic icon to record a voice message be it long or short. In cases where users wanted to record a long voice message, holding the icon was tiresome. But now you'll be able to record voice message without the need to hold the record button.
Now when you start recording an audio message by holding down the mic button, a padlock UI element will appear on the right side of the chat window. Sliding it up will lock the recording, and you can go hands free. Once you are done recording the audio message, taping on the send button ends the session, and the audio clip will be sent to the recipient. Note that during the voice recording session, you'll be able to scroll up and down the chat window, but not be able to leave it.
The two new features are part of WhatsApp v2.17.81 for iOS, and it is available for download from the App Store.
Via | Source
Popular instant messaging platform WhatsApp is said to be working on a couple of new features to improve the user experience such as switch between voice/video calls, revamped message recording interface, more power to group admins and location stickers. The features were found by WABetaInfo, a group that checks beta version of developments.
Starting with voice/video call switch, the feature will let you quickly switch between voice calls and video calls easily. WhatsApp nows show a new button during a call that will let you quickly switch from voice calls to video calls without stopping voice call is in progress.
The recipient will also have an option to either reject the video call if he/she wants.WhatsApp is also working on a feature that will allow you to mute a video calls.
Revamped message recording interface
Earlier users needed to hold the mic icon to record a voice message. In cases where users wanted to record a long voice message, holding the icon was tiresome. But WhatsApp is testing a way to record voice messages without the need to hold the button.
Now when you want to record a voice message, after five seconds, you'll see a new UI for the microphone button. Tapping on it will prompt a lock to appear over the symbol, and you would need to slide the finger up to activate the lock mode to send voice message hands-free. Note that during the voice recording session, you'll be able to scroll up and down the chat window, but not be able to leave it.
More power for Group administrator
Group admins will be able to disable chat in a group, and only admins will be able to post messages in the group. Members will only be able to receive and read messages, but won't be able to participate in the discussion or post images, videos, files, etc. In case a member in the restricted Whatspp group want to communicate with the admin, they will have the option called "Message Admin", to send a message directly to the group admin. Participants can also choose to "Mute" the group.
In addition, Group administrator will also have the option to restrict the participants from changing the subject, icon and description of the group. When an admin enables this option, a notification will appear in the group.
Location stickers
It is a new kind of dynamic sticker which lets you choose between nearby locations and apply it on a image or video. It has two layouts and you can load the other layout by tapping on it to see more.
All the above mentioned features will be available on WhatsApp's Android, iOS and Windows Phone platform soon.
In related news, WhatsApp is also reportedly working on bringing its services to Apple's iPad line up. However, it is now known if the tablet with get a dedicated app or a client app like WhatsApp web. Other features in the work include voice and video group calls and payment integration.
Source 1 | 2 | 3 | Via
WhatsApp might soon extend its support for Apple's iPad tablet, as WABetaInfo, a reliable source for WhatsApp related news, has found references of WhatsApp for iPad on the latest WhatsApp desktop app.
The Facebook-owned popular messaging platform recently updated its desktop and web clients (version 0.2.6968), which seems to add references to icons for the iPad. The image shows a separate set of icon for iPad, which appears to be related with the desktop client used via browser. The references hints that an iPad version of WhatsApp is in the work.
WhatsApp is already available for iPhone, and on Android platform in the form of a standalone app, however, for PC it is offering a desktop app. At present there is no official WhatsApp app for iPad, but there are various third party app on the App Store for download, that makes the popular instant messaging service accessible on the tablet. However, the experience isn't up to the mark.
That being said, the source does not mention, whether WhatsApp for iPad will arrive as a standalone app, or will it be a client application just like WhatsApp Web. The latter works in a similar fashion as the Windows and macOS desktop versions.
WhatsApp has a couple of features incoming such as group voice and video calls and WhatsApp Pay. In the latest update WhatsApp added a feature that enabled a user to delete a message sent to the individuals as well as group texts. But messages can only be deleted within seven minutes of sending them.
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WhatsApp's "Delete for Everyone" feature has been in the works for quite some time. And now the feature is rolling out to WhatsApp's Android, iOS and Windows Phone apps.
The Delete for Everyone feature lets you recall/delete message sent to the recipient's phone, in both private and group conversation. It works for any message type including text messages, voice messages, images, videos, files, location and more. The feature will come in handy when you send a message to the wrong person.
You can delete a sent message simply by tapping the Trash button, which now shows two delete options "Delete for Me" and "Delete for Everyone". The Delete for Everyone option will erase the message you sent to your friends and loved ones.
It's worth mentioning that you'll get a seven minutes window to delete the message, and after that recalling it will be impossible. Also, in order for messages to be successfully deleted for everyone, both you and your recipient must be using the latest version of WhatsApp.
The recalled message will be also deleted in the notifications center (on iOS) of the recipient at the exact moment you have revoked it. On Android the message will be updated with the “This message was deleted for everyone” text. That said, quoted message and Broadcast List doesn't support deleting messages at the moment.
The Delete for Everyone feature will be added be added automatically, as it is a server side roll out, and you don't need to update the app from the Play Store. If you have not received the feature yet, you can download and install the latest WhatsApp beta from APKmirror.
Source | Via
WhatsApp added the ability to make voice calls within its app last year. Now it appears, that the world's popular messaging platform will soon get the ability for group voice calls.
WaBetaInfo, a popular group that tests new WhatsApp features, stated that WhatsApp is testing the group calling functionality internally. The latest 2.17.70 beta release for iOS contains a lots of hidden references to the group voice calls feature. Users will be able to add other WhatsApp contacts while being on an voice call with someone.
A line of code was unearthed indicating that if a user make a voice call to someone on WhatsApp, the messaging app will send a request to the server to check whether the person is engaged in a group voice call. That being said, it is not yet known, how many number of users will be able to join a group voice call.
Apart from group voice calling, the source also found only one reference of group video calling as well. This means users will also be able to make group video calls through WhatsApp.
It can be expected that WhatsApp will first roll out group voice calling feature, followed by group video calling function. Unfortunately, there's no ETA for the said feature. To remind you Facebook already has group voice & video calling function on its Messenger app.
Additionally, WhatsApp is also testing several other features that will roll out in the near future. These include
- Smaller app size
- A feature that would notify your friends when you change your phone number,
- Improved group management tool including a tool that will prevent the group creator to be removed from the group by other administrators; remove more participants at once; administrator will be able to choose if other participants can modify the subject of the group, its icon and description
- Unsend function that will let you delete sent message, images, videos, GIFs and other files
- Unified Payments Interface (UPI) integration for peer-to-peer payments
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The popular Facebook owned instant messaging app, WhatsApp is getting a new feature that will tell people in your contacts where you are. The new Live Location sharing feature allows you to share your location in real-time with friends and family.
The feature will come in handy when you are on the go to tell your loved ones where you are and if you are safe. A similar feature is already available on Facebook Messenger and Telegram.
WhatsApp says the Live Location feature is end-to-end encrypted, and lets you control with whom to share the location and for how long.
Here's how Live Location works. Open a chat with the person or group you want to share you want to share with. Then under 'Location' in the attach button, you'll find a new 'Share Live Location'. Here you can choose from how long you want to share and tap send. You can even choose to stop sharing at any time or let the Live Location timer simply expire.
This will enable everyone in the chat to see your real-time location on a map. The feature also lets more than one person to share their Live Location in the group. All the locations will be visible on the same map.
WhatsApp says Live Location feature will be available on both Android and iPhone and will be rolling out in the app in the coming weeks. That said, the feature is already live in India.
Source
Popular messaging platform WhatsApp, which has over billion users, has unveiled new set for emojis for the first time, joining the likes of Facebook and Twitter, which have their own custom emoji set. Previously WhatsApp used Apple's emoji on its iOS, Android and Windows platform.
WhatsApp's emoji appears to be highly inspired by Apple's emoji design with subtle differences. They are more animated with lifelike eyes and expression. For example, WhatsApp's information desk lady emoji has a blue shirt and bob, whereas Apple's emoji flaunts a longer hair and purple shirt.
The new set of emojis is available in WhatsApp Android beta version 2.17.364, so you should be enrolled in WhatsApp beta program to test it out. Since the emojis are being beta tested, they might change beofre public release, or not even make a public release.
Source | Via
WhatsApp will soon let Android users manage their phone's storage, within the app and delete unwanted files. The feature is already available for iOS platform, and is now being tested for Android in the WhatsApp beta version 2.17.340.
To use this feature head to 'Settings' and then 'Data And Storage Usage'. Next tap on 'Storage Usage', and the next page will show all your chat conversations with your contacts/groups, ranked according to the storage usage.
Opening a contact/group will show how much storage space he/she has taken for every type of messages including texts, videos, images, GIFs, locations, shared contacts, audio clips and documents. Here you can manage the phone's storage by deleting the media files or messages, by tapping the 'Manage Messages' option.This feature will be useful to delete unnecessary chats and files that's taking space on your device.
As mention earlier, the feature is still in beta, so you must have WhatsApp Beta for Android to test it out. The public roll out should take place in the coming days.
Apart from the storage control feature, WhatsApp in the future will also get new functions like delete/unsend a message and integration with UPI.
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Earlier this month WhatsApp announced it is testing new tools through a closed pilot program, that will allow WhatsApp users to communicate with businesses. Now popular online ticketing platform BookMyShow is collaborating with WhatsApp for the business pilot test, becoming the first Indian online ticketing brand to integrate it services with WhatsApp for Business.
As part of the test, BookMyShow has made WhatsApp a default ticket confirmation channel for all its users. Users who book tickets on BookMyShow will now receive a message on WhatsApp with the confirmation text or an M-ticket (mobile ticket) QR Code, along with an email.
"WhatsApp has definitely become a preferred mode of communication for millions of people in our country and we could identify tremendous value in making it a default ticket confirmation channel," said Ravdeep Chawla, Head of Product, BookMyShow, in a statement.
Since its inception, WhatsApp has been free for use, but the introduction of WhatsApp for Business shows how serious WhatsApp is to monetize its platform. While the service is free for small businesses, bigger companies like airlines, e-commerce and back will have to pay to use some of the service's feature.
WhatsApp currently has over 200 million monthly active users in India, and joining hands with major businesses come as a boost for WhatsApp as it prepares to enter the digital payments market in the country.
Source: IANS
WhatsApp is one of the most widely used messaging app with over one billion daily users world-wide. The Facebook owned messaging service, has been regularly adding new features to the platform making it more useful and fun.
WhatsApp recently got PiP mode for video calling, colorful text status and introduced new tools for businesses. The next feature coming to WhatsApp will let you delete sent messages, you accidentally sent to your contact. This feature has been in works for quite sometime.
According to WABetaInfo, WhatsApp is testing a feature that will enable users to recall messages within five minutes of sending them. The feature is said to be called " Delete For Everyone", and apart from messages the feature also works with images, videos, status replies, GIFs and documents.
However, only messages or files that have not been read/seen by your contact can be recalled. Moreover, the message will also automatically disappear from the receivers notification center as well. Once deleted you'll be notified by a message that reads “This message was deleted.”
The Delete for Everyone feature is currently being tested on Android and iOS devices, and when it is ready to be deployed, WhatsApp will remotely activate it for everyone.
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An
update is rolling out to WhatsApp that brings two new features -
picture-in-picture (PiP) mode for video calls and text-only colored
status update.
WhatsApp started testing PiP mode for video calls
on Android earlier this year. To use PiP mode, during a video call press the back button,
which will then shrink the video chat window, and let you move it
around the screen, and place it wherever you want. You can then
simultaneously perform other tasks like message a friend, open other
application and more. It's worth mentioning that this feature is
exclusive to Android 8.0 Oreo devices like Pixel or Nexus phones.
Up
next is the ability to add Facebook-like text-only status on solid
colored background. Users will now see a floating pen icon in the status
tab at the bottom of the screen, right above the camera icon. Clicking
on the pen icon, brings up the option to type a status, select font, add
emoji and background color. When done, users have to hit the green
arrow key to set the status, and your contacts will see the published
status.
These two features will show up on WhatsApp version
2.17.323 for Android, which is available for download front the Google
Play Store. It is also available on the iOS platform (v2.17.52) as well.
Via | Image Credit
Facebook owned popular instant messaging platform WhatsApp made it debut on the App Store in 2009(November), and Play Store in 2010 (August), and is now enjoyed by one billion daily active users. Initially the services were offered with a $1 annual subscription fee yearly, but in 2016, the service went complete free. Since then, WhatsApp has been exploring ways to monetize its platform to generate income. Recently details regarding WhatsApp Business was spotted on its FAQ page.
And now WhatsApp has announced that its building and testing new tools via a free WhatsApp Business app for small companies and an enterprise solution for bigger companies operating at a larger scale. These businesses will provide customers with useful notifications like flight times, delivery confirmations, and other updates via WhatsApp business. While the service will be free for small businesses, bigger companies like airlines, e-commerce and back will have to pay to use some of the service's feature.
WhatsApp is testing the new tools though a closed pilot program, and will allow users to communicate with the businesses they want to reach on WhatsApp. Business accounts will have a verified profile that's indicated by a "green badge", which will allow users easily identify a business, making it easier to respond to messages. Businesses will also be able to set working hours, address, description of the business, and link Facbook profile as well. The conversations will be end-to-end encrypted and users will have the option to block business account which they do not want to be contacted by.
“Our approach is simple – we want to apply what we’ve learned helping people connect with each other to helping people connect with businesses that are important to them,” said WhatsApp in a blog post.
KLM Royal Dutch airlines will be the first airline with a verified WhatsApp businesses account, that will let customers directly contact KLM's social media service agents 24/7 to know about booking confirmation, check-in notification, boarding pass, flight status updates and asking questions in 10 different languages.
Multiple reports in the past have suggested that WhatsApp is testing verified accounts for businesses. And now WhatsApp via its FAQ page has confirmed that it will soon have a verified account for businesses.
The FAQ page says that WhatsApp is exploring ways for users to communicate with relevant businesses. The verified business accounts will be indicated by a "Green Tick", similar to Facebook and Twitter. If you see the green tick on a contact's name, this means WhatsApp has confirmed the phone number and it's a legitimate business account.
WhatsApp will indicate when you're chatting with a business account via yellow messages inside the chat box, and there's no ways to delete the chat messages. However, users will have the option to block business account which they do not want to be contacted by.
In addition, WhatsApp will also let businesses set working hours. If you call a business account and they are not available, you'll get an 'away' message. Business account holders can also manage their automatic messages.
WhatsApp business verification is currently limited to a small number of businesses participating in the beta program, and should roll out to everyone soon.
Source | Via
Earlier this week, WhatsApp started testing Facebook-like color text status feature on its beta app, and now it has rolled out the same functionality to the public. Starting today, you can customize text status by choosing a specific font and background color or include links.
You'll now see a floating "pen" icon in the status tab at the bottom of the screen, right above the camera icon. Clicking on the pen icon, brings up the option to type a status, select font, add emoji and background color. When done, users have to hit the green arrow key to set the status, and your contacts will see the published status.
The new feature will be added through server side change and is available for Android, iOS and WhatsApp Web.
Multiple reports in the past have suggested that WhatsApp is planning to integrated payments service into its platform by end of this year, allowing you to transfer money to friends and family right from the chat window instantly. And now it seems like WhatsApp users in India may not have to wait too long to get the feature.
The WhatsApp UPI integration has been spotted in the beta version of the Android platform. According to WABetaInfo, the WhatsApp beta version 2.17.295 has a UPI payment preview page, though it's hidden, and you'll not be able to see it just yet.
The payment feature is found on a new section called "WhatsApp Payments" and reads 'Immediate bank to bank transfer with UPI'. You'll also have to agree to WhatsApp Payment and Banks's terms and privacy policy, before using it.
Several popular messaging platform such as WeChat and Hike Messenger already support payment services. Also post demonetization, usage of mobile payment apps such as Paytm, MobiKwik, Freecharge and others have seen exponential growth in user base and number of transactions.
However, given that WhatsApp has an active user base of over 200 million in India, the popular messaging platform should boost digital payments further in the country.
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Last year social networking giant Facebook added colored text statuses feature on its Android app, that allowed users to set their status with a blend of colorful background, font and emoji.
Now the same feature is being tested on WhatsApp in the beta version 2.17.291 for the Android platform. This new feature was first spotted by Android Police, and reports that the feature is a server-side test, so only a select users are seeing it now.
Users will now see a floating pen icon in the status tab at the bottom of the screen, right above the camera icon. Clicking on the pen icon, brings up the option to type a status, select font, add emoji and background color. When done, users have to hit the green arrow key to set the status, and your contacts will see the published status.
The Facebook-like color text status feature should roll out to all users soon.
WhatsApp recently announced that it has a total of 1.3 billion monthly active users, and over 250 million daily users on the Status feature. WhatsApp Status was introduced back in Feburary, and is a clone of Snapchat's Stories.
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Popular messaging service WhatsApp has announced that it now has one billion daily active users on the app globally and 1.3 billion monthly active users. It also revealed other key stats.
The Facebook owned messaging app further says that 55 billion messages are shared every day in 60 supported languages. Videos shared per day stand at one billion, and photos shared per day are at 4.5 billion.
Out of the one billion daily active users, 250 million use the WhatsApp Status feature, which is a clone of Snapchat Stories. For those unaware, WhatsApp Status allows you to share photos, videos and animated GIFs that disappear after 24 hours.
“Whether it’s sharing personalized photos and videos, connecting through video calling, or keeping friends updated throughout the day with Status, communicating on WhatsApp has never been easier or more personal. We are humbled that so many people are using these new features to connect with one another in their own special way”, said WhatsApp in a blog post.
To recall, back in February 2016, WhatsApp had just one billion total monthly users' and 450 million monthly users, and 350 million daily users in February 2014 when Facebook acquired it. Now in just two year, WhatsApp has managed to achieve the new milestone of one billion daily active users.
WhatsApp for iPhone is getting a couple of new features, that were recently introduced in its Android app. The new WhatsApp v2.17.40 bring new features like ability to pin chats on top, share any type of files and more.
The pinned chat feature was first introduced in May, for WhatsApp's Android app. Users can now pin up to three important chats or groups at the top of the chat screen to access them easily. To pin a chat or group to the top, you just have to tap hold on the chat, and you'll now see a pin icon right on top next to the delete, mute and archive icon. Tap on the pin option, and the chat will move right on top.
Once pinned the conversation will stay on top of the list even if you get new messages from other users. To unpin a chat, long press on the chat, and you' see that option to unpin on the top.
Moving on, earlier you could only share image video, audio files as well as PDF, Word documents, Excel sheets, Power Point slides and location. But now you can share just about any file types you want including APKs and ZIP, given that the file size is under 128MB. Also you can share photo or videos without being compressed.
WhatsApp added the ability to send or receive multiple photos or videos grouped in a single album in a conversation last month for iPhone. This feature is getting a tweak. The update also brings the option of quickly forwarding or deleting photos received in a bundle. Now when users get multiple photos (thumbnail gallery), you can tap and hold the group of photos and choose to either forward them or delete them all.
