At the end of 2024, WhatsApp still benefits from several welcome new features. On the menu, improved call quality, the possibility of calling only certain members of a group and reminders for messages left unanswered.
Not a month goes by without WhatsApp receiving new features or improvements. Over the past few months, the app has continued to evolve with a host of more or less significant new features, to the delight of its approximately two billion users. Thus, instant messaging now allows you to transcribe voice messages into text, create drafts for messages, and even create and manage discussion lists. Meta does not intend to stop there and will offer several improvements for calls as well as a new reminder option, which will allow you not to forget to respond to the last messages received.
WhatsApp: enriched and improved calls
On the occasion of the end-of-year holidays, WhatsApp announces in a blog post new functions for calls, to make exchanges more interactive on computer and mobile. Thus, within groups, it is now possible to choose the participants to call without alerting all the members. Simply check the names of the people concerned in the list that appears on the screen. Only the latter will see the call notification, the others being excluded. WhatsApp also announces, without giving too many details, better video quality for individual and group calls, with better resolution and a sharper image on mobile and computer.
Video calls are also entitled to ten new visual effects to liven up conversations, such as an underwater setting, a karaoke microphone, ears and a dog’s nose… Nice, but easily forgettable. Finally, on computer, users can benefit from a new interface for video calls, with a revised and improved tab. Three buttons allow you to start a conversation, create a link to invite other participants or dial a number. Enough to simplify use on large screens! All these additions are gradually being rolled out to all users through the latest update.
WhatsApp: reminders so you don’t forget to respond
But Meta has other surprises in store! The specialized site WABetaInfo discovered, in beta version 2.24.25.29 of the Android application, a message reminder function. Indeed, by having to juggle several discussions at the same time, users can sometimes lose track. Result: certain messages get missed. The new option should resolve this problem. It will be integrated into the settings, in the Notifications tab.
Thus, WhatsApp will send reminders for certain unread messages from specific contacts, through an internal algorithm that prioritizes the contacts with which users interact most frequently. Please note, this algorithm works locally on the device. Also, if a user uninstalls and then reinstalls the application, WhatsApp will have to recalculate these interactions, because this data is not saved in backups or on the server. However, you will have to be patient before this function is deployed to the general public; it may take a few weeks.