Popular instant messaging platform WhatsApp has been spotted testing some new features for both Android and iOS in the latest beta. For Android users, WhatsApp is rolling out a new shortcut that will allow users to instantly reply to video messages.
The shortcut to quickly respond to video messages was spotted in WhatsApp Android beta version 2.24.14.5. It is only available to users who are enrolled in the WhatsApp beta program. According to a report by WABetaInfo, the new shortcut appears next to the video messages in the users" chat window.
Last year, WhatsApp pushed the video notes feature, which lets users share and receive short video messages. It was similar to audio notes, but here, users could share messages as videos directly from the app, without needing to record a video through the camera app and then share it.
With the new shortcut, users can tap on it and respond to the video notes. Tapping on the shortcut opens the video notes, where you can record your response instantly, eliminating the need to enable video notes manually. The feature is currently in beta, however, it is expected to arrive in the stable branch soon.
WhatsApp has a new feature for beta users on iOS as well. According to WABetaInfo, the WhatsApp iOS beta version 24.13.10.71, brings a new notification alert feature for media uploads. WhatsApp users on iOS will be notified about the media uploads on their lock screen. They can get information about the progress of media uploads.
The notification will show when the media upload was paused and which media is currently uploading. If the media upload gets interrupted or paused because of poor connection, the notification informs the users with "1 upload paused, open the app to resume sending."
This could be a good feature to avoid missing out on sending files, and it could also come in handy in situations where sending multiple files isn"t always successful.