Recently, WhatsApp has released a new update that brings some useful features like you can now pin messages to groups, a one-time view option for voice messages, and connection health for video calls.
The app version of this update for Android users is 2.23.25.78.
Message pinning in group chat
You can now pin messages from all existing members in groups. The pinned message will remain at the top and can be accessed anytime by tapping on it. You can also choose how long your PIN will last between 24 hours, 7 days and 30 days and you can also manually unpin at any time. There is also a pin icon on a pinned message, and when you pin a message the group also gets a message.
- Long press and hold on the message you want to pin and then tap the three dots in the top right corner.
- Then select the ‘Pin’ option from the drop-down menu, choose the time range for which you want to pin the message and choose to pin.
The message will be pinned to stay at the top of the chat at all times, and whenever you or another group member pins a message an announcement will also be added to the chat that you have pinned a message.
You can pin only one message at a time and unpin the pinned message again by long-pressing on the message and selecting Unpin from the menu, or by tapping on the pinned message at the top and selecting unpin. can be done. You can also go directly to a message by long pressing on the pinned message and selecting ‘Go to message’.
2. View Once to Voice Messages
Now you can also add ‘View Once’ option to the voice message so that the receiver can listen to the voice message only once. After the chat is opened, the voice message disappears from the chat. Plus, for added privacy, the recipient can’t share, forward, copy, or save it. View Once was already added to images and videos, and is now available for voice messages as well.
- Tap and hold the mic icon on the right and then swipe up to lock the view.
- Then record your voice message and tap the View Once icon above the send icon and then send the message.
Once a voice message is set to one view, it can only be heard once by the user and for privacy it can only be heard on the phone itself and not on any other device.
3. Connection Health for video call
Now you can check the connection status during video call. Earlier, it only showed if your connection was weak during a video call, but now it shows your connection status through antennas that represent the connection strength. To check the health of your connection, simply long press on your Tile in a video call, and you can see the connection health status in the top right corner of your Tile.
This update brings some important features like message pinning and one-time views for voice messages, which were missing and present on its competing platforms. Connection health is also a nice addition. These features will become available to everyone in the coming weeks.
