Meta, WhatsApp’s company, has unveiled six new features for Android and iPhone users, enhancing the messaging app’s functionality and user experience.
According to the company, the new update, called Camera Effects, will enable users to manage effects for the camera and video calls through an updated privacy feature. This feature allows for more expressive and personalized interactions, dynamically responding to facial expressions, hand gestures, and movements as reported by legit.ng.
Users can now directly tag contacts to view a status, share someone’s status with their own status or a contact, and react to status updates with emojis, eliminating the need for comments. Other updates include events in communities, picture-in-picture video, and speed adjustment, as well as community.
To access these features, users need to update WhatsApp through the App Store for iOS or Google Play Store for Android and open the app to explore the new features. Alternatively, users can opt into the beta version for immediate access, noting potential downsides.
This development comes after WhatsApp and Instagram rolled out a broadcast-based messaging feature called Channels, aiming to provide more conversational avenues to its users. The company plans to monetize the feature in the future, with admin phone numbers not visible on the channels.
WhatsApp remains one of the most popular global mobile messenger apps, with Nigerians among its top users. The latest update aims to make the messaging app more personal and engaging for its vast user base.
