WhatsApp is making some minor tweaks to its Android app, though they’re clearly practical additions (though one is still in beta testing right now).
Incoming tweaks with the latest version of the Android client include the ability to add captions when sharing a document via WhatsApp, such as WABetaInfo (opens in a new tab) reports.
This comes with a big increase in the number of photos and videos you can send simultaneously in a chat. Previously, the limit was 30 media, but it has been increased to 100 (which should be enough for everyone – we hope).
Another change in the final version of the Android app means users can now have longer group names (up to 100 characters in total) and a group description that lets people know what the purpose of the group is. .
As for the change that is still in beta, it is an already existing feature, namely Disappearing Messages (which, as the name suggests, disappears after a set period of time if you select this option).
Also spotted by WABetaInfo (opens in a new tab), the new Android beta has a Saved Messages feature. It allows you to save certain messages that disappear (as opposed to the whole chat) and keep them for later reference.
Analysis: some handy and practical additions
These are all handy touches for WhatsApp on Android, meaning that, for example, you don’t need to capture disappearing messages (a somewhat controversial feature, as we’ve discussed in the past) to keep them. – they can rather just be saved. Keep in mind that this one is still in beta and is being rolled out in preview stages, as not all testers will see retained messages. (There’s no guarantee a beta feature will make the cut for the final release, though).
It’s also a useful feature to be able to attach captions to documents, allowing you to provide a bit of information about the shared file. As for the new features that arrived with the final version of WhatsApp on Android, currently they are still rolling out to the user base, so you may not have them yet – but they will appear soon enough.
Via Android Police [1 (opens in new tab), 2 (opens in new tab)]
