WhatsApp has got a new feature that will let users quote messages when replying. While earlier this week, the new feature was spotted in beta builds of WhatsApp for Android, it is now rolling out for most users across Android and iOS running the general release builds from Google Play and the App Store.
The message quotes and replies feature is self-explanatory and the user needs to long press a message in any conversation to see a reply option pop up alongside star, delete, forward, and copy.
On tapping the reply button, the original message will appear as a quote, and users can reply to that. On the receiver's end, the quoted message will appear as a grey box with the reply below it. The feature works on one-to-one chats as well as group chats.
The last month update to the platform was last month - the addition of documents sharing on WhatsApp Web. Shortly before that, the company rolled out its first desktop app for Windows and OS X.
After a month of beta testing, WhatsApp has finally rolled out v2.12.250 to Android users, which brings a number of features to the popular messaging app. Not only do you get more control over your messaging options with the new update, it also gives you more emojis and decreases the amount of data used in WhatsApp calls.
5 new features that the latest WhatsApp update has brought to Android:
- Android users can mark messages as unread even after reading them.To be clear, this feature does not make it appear as if you have not read the message yet, and your messages will appear as read to senders even after you mark them as unread. Instead, it can be used to highlight messages so you can get back to them later.
- Custom notifications: WhatsApp is bringing its whole set of custom options, which were available only for the whole app till now, for individual contacts.
For example, if you want to set a specific ringtone for a contact, you can select any song from your playlist, so you know the messages and calls are from that particular person even without looking at your smartphone.
Similarly, you can set notification light colours, custom call and message contain ringtones, enable or disable vibrations and pop-up notifications for each contact.
- Mute individual contacts :
Till now, we have only been able to mute group conversations, but with the new update Android users are able to mute individual contacts as well.
If you want to mute any person on your contact list, check the Mute bar in the About menu. Slide the Mute bar to the right and you will see duration for which you can mute the chat: 8 hours, a week, or a year.
- Lower data consumption in WhatsApp calls:
If you make a lot of WhatsApp calls and want to reduce your data consumption, WhatsApp has added a new option in the app for that purpose.
Under Chats and Calls menu in Settings, you will notice a new option called Low Data Usage at the bottom of the scroll. Just click the box and you will be able to save some data while making voice calls using WhatsApp.
- New emojis and more skin tones:
The new update brings a set of new emojis to WhatsApp for Android, c such as the Spock salute, the rather- rude middle finger, more diverse facial emojis, and a bunch of LGBT c emojis. On top of that, several emojis now come in different skin tones.
- But no Google Drive integration
Though we saw Google Drive integration in the beta testing stage, the latest Android update for WhatsApp has excluded it. We expect it to be rolled out in the near future, and make backing up chats, images, videos, voice messages etc much easier.
