Whatsapp: Four major changes coming in 2023 - from picture-in-picture calling to new edit trick

WhatsApp is used by billions of people all over the world - but some feel it could be greatly improved by these changes, hopefully coming to the app in 2023.
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WhatsApp is one of the most popular free-to-use chat apps in the world, favoured by billions of smartphone users in more than 180 countries. And it appears the META-owned app is on a mission to up its game, with a catalogue of new features hopefully surfacing in the coming months.

WhatsApp recently announced it would stop working on 49 smartphones this year, as these older models would not be able to cope with the swathe of updates thought to be hitting the app in 2023. . Here are the new features we could see coming to WhatsApp very soon, which have all been leaked by WABetaInfo.

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It’s worth noting that as these leaks are at an early stage, WhatsApp may decide not to release them at all. But all these features have been requested by users who feel they would enhance the popular app even further.

Edit messages

WhatsApp users are often frustrated by the fact they are unable to edit messages once they’ve been sent. It is believed that Beta testers are currently looking at a new way users can hold and correct messages after they press “send”.

This feature has been highly-requested for years, so let’s hope it will be made available to users in 2023.

Voice status update

The status update element on WhatsApp allows you to tell people in your contacts whether you’re active, busy or away. Next year there could be a welcome addition to the feature in the form of voice updates. According to WABetaInfo, users will soon be able to post a voice note of up to 30 seconds on your status updates.

Search for messages by date

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While search on WhatsApp has definitely seen an improvement in recent years, sifting through so many conversations can be tricky. But developers are apparently working on another way to narrow down search results on the app by building a tool to set a date range.

Picture-in-picture video calling

Picture-in-picture video calling is one for the multi-taskers. It means you’ll be able to leave WhatsApp as you chat to friends and family, while doing other things on your device.

The feature is already been trialled by WhatsApp beta testers and is expected to launch sometime in early 2023.

How to get Whatsapp beta

WhatsApp is rolling out a new update through the Google Play Beta Program, bringing the version up to 2.22. Users are invited to a testing program for this unreleased version of the WhatsApp Messenger app.

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As a tester, you’ll receive an update that includes a testing version of the WhatsApp Messenger app, which may also include unreleased versions of its instant app. To download WhatsApp beta for your smartphone you need to go to Google Play on Android and search for WhatsApp.

Scroll down the page until you see "Become a Beta Tester". Tap the "I’m In" button and then click "Join" to confirm. Now all you have to do is wait for the update to the beta version of the app.

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