WhatsApp in 2020
Facebook's instant messaging application, WhatsApp, has completely changed the way the world communicates. In addition to some new features in 2019, we've been able to enjoy an improved interface that has made it the most popular choice for keeping in touch with others.
These are some of the features that are expected to become part of WhatsApp over the next year:
Dark mode
Dark mode or ‘night mode’ is perhaps the most anticipated feature of WhatsApp for several months now. It is an ideal mode for low light that has already gone through beta and testing. It will allow users to choose a darker theme in the application, which will reduce eye strain in low light conditions. It will also help save battery power, as this mode consumes less energy. Apparently, dark mode will change WhatsApp’s background to black and the text to white.
WhatsApp for iPad
It is very easy to access WhatsApp on a desktop, laptop or on a smartphone, but this app is still officially incompatible with iPad. According to WaBetaInfo, this problem will soon be resolved, as WhatsApp developers are currently working on an update to allow the app to function on an iPad. Nothing has been officially announced, but it appears this update could be launched soon.
WhatsApp for iPad will have exactly the same features of the main application.
Self-destructing messages
This is a feature that users have long been anticipating. ‘Self destruct’ messages is is the ability to create messages that will be automatically deleted after a short period of time in order to improve privacy and free up storage space.
Face Unlock
WhatsApp recently released some security features for the app, including a fingerprint scanner. 2020 may see a further security feature added to the app called ‘face unlock’. This feature is likely to work in a similar way to the facial security mode available on some smartphones, but little information has been released about this update. We await further details…
Blocked contact notice
This update will give users one-touch access to unblock a contact that they have previously blocked.
Announcements
Advertising comes to WhatsApp. At the 2019 Facebook Marketing Summit in the Netherlands, the company presented a how it intends to work with ads on Whatsapp. They intend to start introducing them in status publications and with full-screen promotions that will appear within contacts' updates.
‘Search by image’
Catfishing could become a thing of the past as WhatsApp is reportedly creating a ‘reverse image’ searching ability for the app, potentially to be released in 2020.
The new 'Search by image' feature is currently not available, as it’s still being tested, but people who sign up to be a WhatsApp beta tester may eventually get access to it.
The feature will allow users to click on images they are sent over WhatsApp and search them in Google to verify their source.
This could help to reduce the spread of fake news as well as making it harder for people to catfish others by using images that are not of them.
