You can now create a WhatsApp avatar, enhance your Last Seen privacy, record video hands-free, use drag and drop on iPhone, and more.
5 new WhatsApp features: Hands-free video, drag and drop and more
Meta
WhatsApp is testing 3 new features, including voice note transcriptions
WhatsApp will soon let you transcribe voice messages into text. The Meta-owned app is also testing in-app camera improvements and call scheduling.
5 new WhatsApp Status features
Meta has unveiled five new WhatsApp Status features, including reactions and link previews, to help boost the usage of this Stories-like ephemeral feature.
Meta is working on letting you pinch to zoom on Instagram stories
Zooming in on Instagram stories with the familiar pinch gesture will make it easier to discern tiny text and examine image details in people's stories up close.
WhatsApp’s native new Mac app brings a much more seamless experience
Everyone dislikes WhatsApp's Electron-powered Mac app, but Meta now lets you try out a new, native version built with Apple's Catalyst framework ahead of release.
WhatsApp will make it a cinch to convert multiple chats into disappearing ones
Turn existing WhatsApp conversations into disappearing messages by applying the self-vanishing message timer to any current chats you select.
WhatsApp’s Accidental Delete feature lets you undo Delete For Me so you can Delete For All instead
WhatsApp's new Accidental Delete feature will undo a Delete For Me action so you can instead delete the message for everyone in a group chat.
You can now find businesses and shop on WhatsApp
You can now search for businesses on WhatsApp as well as make a secure payment with a credit or debit card right from the chat screen.
Facebook Messenger is expanding end-to-end encryption to more people
Facebook Messenger supports end-to-end encrypted, but it's off by default. Meta's now made the feature available to more people ahead of a global rollout.
Facebook and Instagram use a custom in-app browser to track users, according to analysis
While Apple continues to make moves when it comes to general user privacy and security, especially with iOS, there are still some areas where third-party companies can take advantage of the tools Apple has in place. For instance, a built-in web browser in apps like Facebook or Instagram, for instance, is still based on Apple's WebKit. But it sounds like Meta has still found a way to track users that use that third-party web browser instead of Safari.
Instagram testing tall photos that fill the entire screen as you scroll in your feed
Instagram's test includes tall 9:16 aspect ratio photos that fill the entire screen of your iPhone as you scroll through your feed in the Meta-owned app.
WhatsApp now lets you use any emoji as a custom message reaction
WhatsApp custom reactions are here—users of the messaging app can now select any emoji when reacting to a message rather than be limited to six built-in ones.