WhatsApp is testing a feature that will flag potential scam messages to help users identify suspicious activity. The update will add a new layer of protection by warning users about potentially fraudulent content, while preserving message privacy.
| Key points | Details |
|---|---|
| Name of the feature: | Scam Alert |
| Feature availability: | Some features may be under development, and they are not available to beta testers. Others may become available to users over time. If you're unable to access a certain feature, you will need to wait for a future update. Keep reading to learn more. |
| News shared last week: | WhatsApp is rolling out Channel Status on Android and iOS! |
| Previous article: | WhatsApp is working on new filters for archived and locked chats! |
Weekly WhatsApp Beta Updates: New Features and Improvements
This new weekly roundup brings together all the latest updates about WhatsApp beta shared this week. As a result, you can finally catch up on everything you might have missed from our past announcements. You can consider this summary as a way to keep up new features, improvements, and fixes. This week's highlight focuses on Scam Alert, a feature that will securely warn whether a message appears to be a scam. See what else has been announced this week.
WhatsApp to extend Liquid Glass design to Mac
WhatsApp is working on bringing Liquid Glass to the Mac app. This means that the interface on iPad will be brought closer in style to the updated design on iPhone. The redesigned interface will include a new chat bar, context menu, and buttons, which will follow the same design language. WhatsApp will also revising the Mac app by introducing a redesigned sidebar. In the sidebar, WhatsApp will introduce a new entry point that allows users to access the list of their locked chats.
WhatsApp is working on Scam Alert to detect suspicious messages from unknown contacts
In the post about the WhatsApp beta for Android 2.26.22.2 update, we announced Scam Alert. This feature will show a warning when users receive a message that appears to be a scam. Scam Alert reviews incoming messages from unknown senders, and it alerts them when a potential scam is found. The feature will run entirely on the user's device. This means that WhatsApp does not share your messages with others to analyze them. They will still be end-to-end encrypted. An on-device transparency will generate some logs locally on the device. These logs will include information about when Scam Alert detected potential scam activity.
WhatsApp redesigns chat lists to improve organization on iOS
The WhatsApp for iOS 26.21.74 update allows users to experiment with a new system to manage chat lists. This feature allows users to choose which filters to keep visible in the Chats tab. All other lists will be moved into a separate section called "More". Here, the app displays all other chat lists. If users want to restore one of these lists, they can tap the "Edit" button to adjust their preferences.
WhatsApp is developing a new tab to track online contacts
WhatsApp is working on bringing a Contacts tab to the bottom navigation bar. This section will let users see who is currently online on WhatsApp. To accomodate the new tab, WhatsApp will remove a tab between Updates and Meta AI. Since status updates are gradually being integrated into the Chats tab, and Channels likely following the same direction in the future, this would make the Updates tab unnecessary.
WhatsApp to bring view-once feature to text messages
WhatsApp plans to introduce the view-once option for text messages. Users will be able to set a text message as "view once" by long-pressing the Send button. When the recipient receives it, they can open it only once before it becomes inaccessible. They won't able to copy, forward, or share the message once they receive it. In addition, WhatsApp will block screenshots and screen recordings for added privacy.
Meta releases AI Business Agent for WhatsApp
Meta announced Business Agent, an AI-powered assistant that helps businesses manage their interactions with customers. With the agent, customers will be able to receive replies even outside business hours since the AI manages the conversation. Users can set the AI agent right within the business tools page and can train the agent further in the "Your AI agent" chat. Businesses can also choose different modes to interact with their customers. These include "My reply", "AI Suggestions", and "AI Agent". With the agent, businesses can save time by offering support even when they are not available.
WhatsApp is testing new preset filters for the Chats tab
With the WhatsApp beta for iOS 26.22.10.70 update, we announced that new preset filters will be available in the future. The update will simplify the interface in the Chats tab by removing archived and locked chats. Instead, WhatsApp will introduce two filters to let users locate these conversations. Additionally, European users who have access to third-party chats can use a preset filter to find them.
WhatsApp is working on a status editing feature for the caption
The WhatsApp beta for Android 2.26.22.5 update suggests that WhatsApp will introduce a status editing feature. This feature will allow users to edit the status caption. Currently, users cannot edit the status caption. This means that if the caption contains a typo, users will have to delete the update and post it again with the new caption. In a future update, WhatsApp will make it easier to edit the caption within a 15-minute window.
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