There is a new WhatsApp update v2.12.194 that adds interesting additions to the widely popular chat app:
1. Low data usage
This new functionality can be accessed in the settings under “Chat and calls”. At the bottom, you’ll see the Low data usage where if you tick the option, it will limit the amount of data you’ll use during a WhatsApp call. This is good news for people with limited data plans.
2. Custom notifications
When you tap on a contact or a group, under notifications you’ll be able to set custom notifications and mute status. When you click the custom notifications, you can tailor the specific ringtone, vibration alert strength & notification light. You can also set custom notifications for voice calls where you can set a custom ringtone and vibration alert for the specific contact.
3. “Mark as Unread” feature
An interesting addition is the mark as unread feature. To set this, tap and hold on a conversation in your Chats timeline and it will display a pop up notification which shows the “mark as unread” setting at the bottom. When you select it, there is a green indicator which appears that indicates you’ve activated the feature. This feature will be useful when you’re not in a position to answer the chat at the time and hence serves as a visual reminder when you log in again to WhatsApp.
4. Google Drive backup
When you go to settings, under network then click on Network usage, you’ll be able to see a Google Drive backup statistics as you scroll down, but when you go back to the settings and go to chat and calls, there is no option to back up chats to Google Drive. This hints of a possible inclusion of backing your Whatsapp chats to Google drive in the future.
The new changes are most certainly welcome and will prove to be useful for the chatting app that is used monthly by a staggering 800 million users. You can download the updated apk here.