WhatsApp is the most used messaging app in the world. In addition, it is one of the most downloaded apps in Spain, Latin America and some other regions of the world. Any new feature or novelty has an effect on tens of millions of people. Sometimes positive and sometimes not so much.
Being from Facebook, WhatsApp plans to integrate some of the functions that other company apps have, such as Instagram and in other cases it is about measures to increase the privacy and data protection of those of us who use the messaging service.
Some of the most important news of WhatsApp, which will arrive in 2022 have been advanced by the specialized web WABetaInfo, which usually has access to the app’s betas, and analyzes the changes to detect new functions. These are the most important:
At present it is possible to hide the last time you were connected to WhatsApp, that is, the last time you opened the application, from all your contacts. But maybe you would like everyone to be able to see it except for a few.
It is the function that the company plans to activate in the future. When choosing the setting of whether you want the people who have your phone to see when was the last time you were online, you can choose to have everyone or no one see it. But soon you will be able to choose “My contacts, except …” where you will be able to choose from a list the people you don’t want to see it ever.
That way you can keep your privacy about when was the last time you opened WhatsApp to certain people that you are not interested in letting them know, but allowing your friends or your contacts to have that possibility.
2. Delete messages to all, without time limit
At present, all the messages, photos or videos that you send to a WhatsApp chat can be deleted for both you and the contact, as long as you do so within 68 minutes.
It is an arbitrary limitation that tries to get the best of both worlds: having the ability to delete messages that maybe you sent by mistake or you do not want others to save, but preventing a person from going to very old chats and deleting everything.
But this will change. WhatsApp has decided to remove any time limitations. Everything can be deleted, regardless of when the message was sent, or the photo or video, even voice messages, for all the people who are in the chat.
It is another important measure to increase the privacy of all the people who use the app.
3. Log out, but not on all devices
With the new multi-device beta of WhatsApp, a different way to log out is being tested: on one device, but not all. It is a very comfortable way to eliminate any presence of your account on a computer, without having to access it.
You can always do it from your phone. In the configuration you access the places where you have your session open and you can choose where to close it. On that computer, WhatsApp will immediately disconnect, and all the chats that have been open will disappear.
People who are in the WhatsApp multi-device beta can already try this feature today.
4. Instagram reels
Facebook seems to be looking for more ways to integrate all its messaging apps with its social networks. In the past we have seen the inclusion of stories in WhatsApp, although they did not have the success or the expected adoption. With the reels, it would be done in a somewhat different wayprobably to prevent it from becoming just another feature that no one uses.
The Reels created in Instagram yes they could be seen in WhatsApp. If real, it would be a level of integration between two Facebook apps at a level that we have not seen in the past. At the same time it would be a way in which the number of people who watch this type of short videos would be significantly increased.
Of course, you can only look at the Reels, but you can not make a new one. In that case, you would have to get hold of the creation tool that Instagram has for your Reels.
In none of the four cases are there approximate dates for the implementation of these new functions to all users. It is also not a guarantee that it will happen. Although these news have appeared in the beta version of WhatsApp, they could decide to eliminate it and never reach the final version of the app.
Another novelty that would come to WhatsApp in 2022 are the Discord-type communities, a possible app for the iPad and support two mobiles at the same time.