WhatsApp beta for Android 2.24.16.5: what's new?
WhatsApp is rolling out a new update through the Google Play Beta Program, bringing the version up to 2.24.16.5.
What's new in this update? WhatsApp is rolling out a new album picker feature to select photos and videos, and it's available to some beta testers!
| Common questions | Answers |
|---|---|
| Name of the feature? | Album picker |
| Status? | Rolling out |
| Compatibility? | WhatsApp beta for Android 2.24.16.5 is marked as a compatible update, but some users may be able to experiment with the same feature by installing certain previous updates. |
| I've installed this update but I don't have this feature. Why? | This feature is available to some beta testers, and it is rolling out to more users over the coming weeks. |
| Thanks: | Akan, lostliano, and ShuhaibNC, for testing and reporting. |
| Previous news? | WhatsApp achieves 100 million users in the United States, reinforcing its market dominance! |
ALBUM PICKER
In the article about the WhatsApp beta for Android 2.23.20.20 update, we announced that WhatsApp was rolling out a new reply bar feature to quickly reply to images. This feature allows users to quickly respond to media directly within the viewing screen, without losing the current context of the conversation. It seems that WhatsApp is now dedicated to further improving the user experience regarding interactions with photos and video, particularly by making it easier to select and filter them from the gallery. Thanks to the latest WhatsApp beta for Android 2.24.16.5 update, which is available on the Google Play Store, we discovered that WhatsApp is rolling out a new album picker feature to select photos and videos!
As you can see from the attached screenshot, some beta testers can now explore a new album picker to quickly switch from one album to another. It is worth noting that WhatsApp already offered a feature to open specific albums through a dedicated gallery tab in the previous updates, but WhatsApp is now redesigning the full gallery sheet by removing tabs and introducing a selector right within the album title view.
The new album picker feature to select photos and videos to share significantly modernizes the WhatsApp interface compared to the old gallery tab. The presentation of a summary of the most recent albums through the new selector avoids the clutter of the entire screen that the full gallery tabs created. The minimalist window that appears when tapping the album title simplifies navigation while enhancing the overall aesthetic appear of the gallery sheet, and shows the number of items available in each album. Additionally, the intuitive design of the album picker allows for quicker access to content, aligning with the recent WhatsApp's ongoing efforts to improve user interaction and convenience.
An album picker feature to select photos and videos is available to some beta testers who install the latest updates of WhatsApp beta for Android from the Google Play Store, and it is rolling out to even more people over the coming weeks.
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