Posted on by WABetaInfo

WhatsApp’s 2022: a look back at a great year and what we expect for the future

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In 2022, we shared an in-depth look at the main features released on WhatsApp beta for Android, iOS, and Desktop. As we enter 2023, a common question is: what can be expected from WhatsApp in the coming year? This article will examine the standout updates from 2022 and explore what the future may hold for WhatsApp in terms of new features and improvements.

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Story about? Exploring WhatsApp’s 2022
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Previous news? WhatsApp is working on the ability to select multiple chats on Desktop beta
EXPLORING WHATSAPP’S 2022

This year, WhatsApp has released several new features that have improved the user experience and engaged its over two billion users. From Reactions to Communities, the most popular instant messaging app has released several updates that have made it easier for people to stay connected with their contacts safely thanks to end-to-end encryption. After sharing 473 articles about WhatsApp this year and Will Cathcart’s overview on Twitter of new features, we decided to examine the most important new features and take a look at some of the standout updates about WhatsApp for Android, iOS, and Desktop:

  1. WhatsApp is making it easier to understand who is sending you a message by adding support for profile photos within notifications on iOS.
  2. You can keep listening to voice notes even when switching to a different conversation on WhatsApp for Android, iOS, and Desktop.
  3. WhatsApp and Cloudflare announced Code Verify, a new extension for WhatsApp Web that allows verifying the integrity of our version of WhatsApp Web so we’re sure the code has not been tampered with.
  4. WhatsApp released the ability to react to messages and status updates, providing a new way to communicate with friends and family.
  5. WhatsApp revamped the chat info screen for chats and groups. Additionally, WhatsApp released cover photos to allow businesses to enhance their profile.
  6. WhatsApp announced WhatsApp Premium, an optional subscription plan for businesses, and opened their Cloud API to businesses of any size.
  7. WhatsApp launched larger groups by increasing the number of group participants to 512 and then to 1024.
  8. WhatsApp announced the ability to move chats from Android to iOS so it is finally possible to migrate the chat history between different platforms.
  9. A new entry point to open the chat with your own phone number is available so it is easier to open such chat to save important messages and reminders only for you and they are synced across all your devices.
  10. WhatsApp released the companion mode on Android and the support to link Android tablets. This feature, coming to WhatsApp for iOS in the coming months, is one of the best news of the year:

      1. WhatsApp released a native macOS app and this is really one of the best products of the year. The app is still in beta but we predict that it will be released to users on the App Store over the coming year.
      2. WhatsApp released the ability to retrieve messages deleted by mistake thanks to the accidental delete feature.
      3. WhatsApp is launching a new global campaign starting in India and U.K. in order to inform users about new features and how WhatsApp secures their experience by using different layers of protections thanks to their privacy features: end-to-end encryption, two-step verification, end-to-end encrypted chat backup, and more.
      4. It is finally possible to forward images, videos, GIFs, and documents with captions.
      5. It is easier to filter your chats by unread on WhatsApp for Android and WhatsApp for iOS.
      6. WhatsApp released admin delete, a feature that lets group admins remove unwanted messages for everyone within their groups.
      7. Several improvements are available for status updates: detect links within the caption, status indicator, status ring within the chat list and rich link previews.
      8. Two months ago, WhatsApp introduced the ability to share polls. We may see further improvements for this feature in the coming year.
      9. For added privacy, WhatsApp is releasing screenshot blocking for view once messages: it is no longer possible to take a screenshot or screen recording to a view once image and video.
      10. WhatsApp released the ability to hide the online status on WhatsApp for iOS and Android, so it is finally possible to use WhatsApp in stealth mode. This is surely one of the best news of the year since everyone was looking for this feature:

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        1. Several new features have been introduced to the business app, including a new linked device interface, track ad, profile photo sync, reorder collections, and a Tools tab on WhatsApp for iOS and Android. More business tools, like the ability to assign certain chats to specific linked devices will be released over the coming months.
        2. WhatsApp is releasing the ability to delete messages for everyone for over 2 days (2 days, 12 hours) to all users on iOS and Android.
        3. WhatsApp is making it easier to understand who is sending a message to a group by adding profile icons on WhatsApp for iOS and Desktop.
        4. WhatsApp announced that the business directory is now available in Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia, Mexico, and the UK, for all users that install the most recent version of WhatsApp for Android and iOS.
        5. Users can now share documents up to 2GB in size on WhatsApp for Android and iOS.
        6. Only group admins will be notified when someone leaves a group chat, and this event is also highlighted within the part participants section.
        7. WhatsApp is making it easier to search for messages by jumping to a certain date on WhatsApp for iOS. We predict to have the same feature on WhatsApp for Android the next year.
        8. WhatsApp is releasing avatars, a new digital expression through stickers and the profile photo.
        9. Mark Zuckerberg announced 32 people video calling to users that install the most recent update of WhatsApp. In addition, several other features for calls made it easier to connect with people such as a feature that lets people message or mute participants in a call, call links, voice waveforms, in-call banner notifications, and picture in picture on iOS.
        10. One of the major features released by WhatsApp this year is the ability to create and join communities, a place where related groups can come together.

            11. In addition to its other updates, WhatsApp also released a large number of new features for the native WhatsApp app for Windows users, including:

            1. It is possible to enable the dark theme within the app settings.
            2. Send emoji quickly thanks to emoji shortcuts.
            3. WhatsApp introduced the sticker tab, archived chats and the ability to view your starred messages.
            4. It is possible to filter your chats and record voice notes. The ability to pause and resume and speed up voice notes has also been released.
            5. When you send multiple photos and videos, the app creates automatic albums.
            6. The ability to react to messages with an updated version that brings more emojis is also available.
            7. WhatsApp introduced a redesigned context menu and gallery view along with quick reply notifications.
            8. The ability to view status updates with a feature that lets people reply to them.
            9. It is possible to take advantage of some keyboard shortcuts, and WhatsApp introduced the ability to share polls.
            10. A new calls tab that lets users view their call history, and a toggle to disable call notifications.

            Overall, 2022 has been an excellent year for WhatsApp in terms of new feature releases. However, the team is always looking for ways to improve and evolve by developing new features for the next year, such as the ability to edit messages and share voice notes via status, and we can’t wait to see what other new innovations they have in store for us in the future. Despite all of the impressive new features released this year, we’re sure the team at WhatsApp can do even better: in our opinion, WhatsApp can improve the beta testing and bug reporting process to continue making strides. In addition, we hope to see improvements to WhatsApp Communities, WhatsApp Support, additional tools for group admins, and enhanced privacy and security features. We can’t wait to see what they have in store for us next year and we’re always here to share with you the details: stay tuned and we wish you a happy new year!

            Follow WABetaInfo on Twitter to always be up to date about WhatsApp news, and you can discover all other changes implemented on WhatsApp beta for Android, iOS, Web/Desktop, and Windows!

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