WhatsApp to add new features including dark mode, fingerprint authentication
WhatsApp is also testing more features like PiP mode background play, and consecutive voice messages
(Web Desk) – WhatsApp has started testing a couple of new exiting features, including dark mode, consecutive voice messages, picture-in-picture background play and fingerprint authentication for android devices.
The features are likely to function soon, however the dark mode is finally visible in the application, and could be spotted in the recent beta updates for WhatsApp on Android by WABetaInfo.
So far, dark mode has been tested in the settings menu and profile section of WhatsApp. Dark mode is being tested on WhatsApp for iPhones as well.
Android users will also get fingerprint authentication soon, a feature WhatsApp rolled out for iPhones this February.
Along with dark mode and fingerprint authentication, WhatsApp is also working on more features. Here’s a list of the new and upcoming WhatsApp features on Android.
Dark mode
According to the screenshots shared, WhatsApp uses a dark grey colour for its background. The icons and headings are all visible in WhatsApp’s signature green colour. Sub texts will be shown in white colour.
Fingerprint authentication
As the name suggests, WhatsApp is testing biometric authentication to lock/unlock the app. Android users will be able to use the fingerprint sensor to open WhatsApp and lock it for security. This feature will be available in Settings > Account > Privacy. Users will have the option to automatically lock WhatsApp after 1 minute, 10 minutes, 30 minutes or immediately.
If WhatsApp does not recognise the fingerprint and there are too many failed attempts, the app will be locked for a few minutes.
Consecutive voice messages
With this feature users can play consecutive audio messages on WhatsApp. If a user receives multiple audio messages on WhatsApp, it will play consecutively. This feature essentially removes the need to press play for every audio message. This update for voice messages is available in the latest public beta for Android users.
Picture-in-picture background play
Picture-in-picture (PiP) mode allows users to play YouTube, Instagram videos within WhatsApp. This feature however has some limitations as users cannot continue watching the videos outside the chat. WhatsApp is working on a new update for the videos to play even with the app closed. This will be similar to how PiP mode in Netflix works.
For Apple
New Icon - When you receive a notification of a text message from a contact or group, you will see a new emoji appear.
New Emoji - WhatsApp is launching new transgender emojis that aren’t natively available in the Emoji Unicode.
