All New WhatsApp Features Added in September 2024

Sep. 30, 2024

Note:Some features are still in beta stage and can take a while before rolling out to stable versions.

In our May features list, we discussed that WhatsApp was making Meta AI’s image generation tool more accessible, by letting youaccess it from attachments. This way, you can quickly create an AI-generated image and share it with someone, without leaving the chat window. The feature was in beta back then, but it is now available for everyone.

WhatsApp has also made it easier to reply to media files without having to exit the preview screen. So now when you tap on an image to view it in full screen, you will see the options to react and reply to it right there in each corner. This makes itconvenient to respond to chatscontaining a media file.

You can now react with theLike button on WhatsApp statusupdates. We discussed this in ourAugust features list, but at the time it was in beta. Now the feature is available for everyone. You will seea new heart iconnext to the text box when viewing someone’s status and tapping on it shows you have liked it.

WhatsApp is adopting a lot of design elements from Facebook and Instagram. One such element is theredesigned status updateswhich look more like Facebook stories. Instagram is also experimenting with this layout. And it is now rolling out for some stable users.

However, this seems like a server-side change as not everyone has received this redesign look. But I and some of my coworkers at Beebom on the stable build of WhatsApp have got this update.

WhatsApp is making it easier for you to interact with its in-app Meta AI. Previously you could only send your prompts by typing them out, but the Meta-owned company has added anew voice option. This allows you torecord your queries and promptsand send them to the AI chatbot in case your hands are busy.

I tried it out and unless you are clear with your prompts, it does misunderstand them from time to time. And my heavy Indian accent doesn’t help. Still, it should be improved over time.

Now coming to beta changes. First, we have a new change where you canjump to your viewer’s status updates, from the viewers list. This way, when you check who has viewed your status, you will also be able to learn which of your viewers have shared their updates by looking at the green ring around their profile. Tapping on it will take you to their status.

The feature is currently in beta and did not work for us. But from the looks of it, I suppose that it could become available for stable users pretty soon.

WhatsApp will soon let you choose whether you wish to sync and back up your contacts or not. This will make iteasier to manage contactsif you use the app on multiple devices or change phones. You can opt to delete contacts which will stop their backup, and when you switch to another device, only the saved contacts on the other devices will show on WhatsApp.

Now this is a useful feature for forgetful folks like me. WhatsApp is adding asaved drafts feature, similar to Instagram. This willshow your unsent message as Draftmaking it easier to identify them right from the main homepage without having to open an individual chat. The feature like others in this list is currently in its early stages, but I do hope to see it make it to stable soon.

Don’t you hate when someone makes a group voice call, and your phone starts buzzing even if you can’t pick it up? Well, WhatsApp is working on a solution for this with call links. This feature will be available on group chats, where participants cancreate a call link and shareit within the group. People interested can tap on the link to join the call without disturbing others.

You can also copy the link for the group call, however, it is not clear whether non-members will be able to join the call if you share the link with them. But we will find out once the feature drops out of beta.

Soon you can share images with the AI chatbot, and change different aspects of it by giving it a prompt. This will work into features like “Create Your AI-Generated Image” and share photos that we talked about in our July WhatsApp features list.

Meta Voice is soon coming to WhatsApp, acting like your AI assistant just like Google’s Gemini or Microsoft Copilot. You can change the voice model to sound like your favorite celebrities. Mark Zuckerburg did a live demo of Meta Voice using the famous actor, Awkwafina’s voice.

WhatsApp Business is getting Meta AI as well. Bringing its AI prowess to help business owners, learn about how they can improve their business practices, or use it more productively, like creating stats or for organizational tasks.

This is yet another minor but helpful addition coming to WhatsApp for iOS. iPhone users with a dynamic island will soon get to see a new live activity, showing the media upload status. This way, you don’t have to check WhatsApp constantly when sharing a large file. You will be able toglance at the upload statusright from the live activity at the top.

Just last month we talked about a new “Favorites” filter that lets you quickly sort through your favorite contacts on the app. Now, WhatsApp is working on the ability tocreate custom Filters. This will help you create custom lists, let’s say for your office coworkers or in-laws. You can add a person or a group to this custom list from their profile or group info page.

This new option will save you a lot of time, as you don’t have to scroll through the chat page to find the contact you are looking for.

This month, we also saw an updated look at the community ownership transfer page. We previously saw this feature in May, and now we get a better look at it. This will letcommunity owners transfer their ownershipto another member if they no longer wish to hold that position anymore.

For months we have been talking aboutmentions feature coming to WhatsApp. This month, we finally got our hands on it. The gist is that you canprivately mention someonein your status and only they will get the alert that they have been mentioned.

At the moment, you canmention up to five peoplein total at the same time in a status. Mentioned people, can also reshare your status, but others won’t know about it. It looks almost close to completion and hopefully, it comes out for everyone in the next month or two.

As discussed above, people who are mentioned privately in a status update can reshare the status as their own. But the older reshare button was just an icon making it difficult to understand its exact purpose. So the app is experimenting with a revamped button that is labeled, tells you what it does, and is more prominent.

Like status mentions, chat themes have also been in the works for a while now. But now it looks more refined and close to completion. We have talked about it in depthhere. But here are the highlights: there are12 different colored presetswith various wallpaper backdrops. The chat bubble’s color adjusts to match the tone of the background. You can also choose betweenlight and dark themesand modify their intensity.

To prevent spam messages from unknown numbers, WhatsApp is experimenting with a new privacy setting. There is a new toggle, thatblocks unknown numbersif they start spamming and sending a lot of messages in a short period. We discussed this last month, but now it looks closer to completion. Note that it only blocks unknown numbers when they exceed a certain message limit.

WhatsApp is also bringing a change to how itshows notification counton the app icon on your phone’s home screen. Typically, when you open the app, the badge counter in your home screen gets reset to zero, if you haven’t addressed the unread message or missed calls. So a new option is added that adjusts the badge counter, rather than simply removing it. This will help youkeep count of all the messagesyou still have to respond to.

A much-requested feature that WhatsApp fans have been asking for is the “mark all chats as read” option. The good thing is WhatsApp is working on it, as discovered in a recent beta. But, in short, tapping on it willmark all your chats as readin one swift move.

It’s hard to believe that it took WhatsApp this long to add it but I am glad it is finally in the works and should come out of the beta soon.

Earlier we talked aboutWhatsApp’s video call effectsand filters which are available for stable users. Now it seems WhatsApp is expanding the feature set to photos as well. As you can see from the screenshot below, you will soon be able to applyAR filters and background effectswhen clicking a photo on the app.

We couldn’t check the feature ourselves, but it will promote users use WhatsApp’s built-in camera to click their photos for sharing, instead of using Snapchat or Instagram.

WhatsApp prompts you when you receive a message with a link forwarded multiple times. However, that prompt was small and easily go unnoticed. That’s why, the app is introducing an updated prompt. It is bigger, and more prominent asking the user to get more info about the link or search the text in the message on Google. This will help themverify the authenticity of a link, to contain the spread of misinformation on the app.

WhatsApp is exploring a newpoll feature for status updates. You will be able toadd a poll stickerto your status, and then add multiple options before sharing it. Other people can then vote on your status poll, but they cannot see who else voted for which option. It is pretty similar to Instagram’s poll sticker and should come to the app pretty soon.

As a tech journalist, I dive into the ever-evolving tech landscape with a particular interest for smartphones, apps, and gaming. With a passion for sharing insights, my articles blend expertise with a friendly touch—think of me as your friendly neighborhood tech support.