WhatsApp recently unveiled a new interface with a bottom bar featuring four tabs: Chats, Updates, Communities, and Conversations. This change marks a departure from the old tab bar layout that had smaller tabs for Communities and larger tabs for Chats, Status, and Conversations. The new design makes it easier to access the features with thumbs and also supports swiping to switch between tabs. The update has already been released on the Play Store.
In addition to the interface changes, WhatsApp is planning to introduce more features in the near future. One of these features will allow users to upload longer videos to the status feature. A beta version for Android devices has been released for developer testing, enabling users to update their status with a video up to a minute long. Meanwhile, Meta is also testing a new feature for Android users that allows transcribing voice notes similar to the feature already available on iOS devices.
WhatsApp is also experimenting with options such as hiding preview of links in chats and introducing new text formatting options like bold and link highlighting. Last year, Meta was reportedly testing a version of WhatsApp for iPads that allowed users to connect their iPad to the messaging platform similarly to connecting on a computer. The iPad application is expected to include all usual features like phone and video calls.
