WhatsApp has released in the past few hours, through TestFlight and Google Play Beta, two new beta versions of its iOS and Android apps iidentified, respectively, with the initials 23.9.0.73 (471468727) and 2.23.10.4. Subsequently, both versions were also released for Android 2.23.10.5 that the 2.23.10.6. But let’s go in order and see what the main innovations are.
Let’s start with the 2.23.9.73 beta version of WhatsApp for iOS where a new function, called “Privacy Checkup”, a novelty that we had already seen in recent months also on the beta version 2.23.9.15 for Android. Thanks to this feature, users will be able to have a detailed overview of your privacy settings related to your account to quickly review and manage them.
After starting the app with this beta version, those who have activated the function will be shown a new banner at the top of the display, directly in the privacy settings.
As visible in the screenshots, once the banner has been clicked, a splash screen will open with various quick links from which we will be able to choose who can add us to groups, manage blocked contacts and control personal information by choosing who can see their information on WhatsApp, for example such as your profile picture, last online login and info message. Furthermore, from this section, it will also be possible to enable both disappearing of messages and end-to-end encrypted backups which add an extra layer of privacy and security to the account.
This privacy control function, remember, it is however an additional tool which allows you to quickly review the privacy settings but detailed control of all settings is always available through the appropriate “Privacy” section in the settings. This feature is also currently only available to some beta testers.
As for Android, as mentioned, WhatsApp released within a short time, three beta versions: 2.23.10.4, 2.23.10.5 and 2.23.10.6. Something new was found in each of these versions.
In the beta version 2.23.10.4 a feature has been found that has already been present for several years in the iOS app but is still missing in the Android one. From now on, in fact, within the tab relating to calls, will finally be highlighted in red a contact’s name (or phone number if it’s from a stranger) in case there was a missed call. A novelty that, albeit simple, will make quick identification easier.
Moving to the beta version 2.23.10.5, WhatsApp is now rolling out the ability to mention groups within the community announcement group. As visible from the screenshot below, the community admin can now mention groups belonging to the community directly in the community announcement group, which will allow members to quickly identify the mentioned groups making it easier for them to join if they are interested.
Starting with version 2.23.9.17 beta for Android, WhatsApp had already started to implement a function to help users better navigate between communities thanks to the organization of subgroups that were grouped in a single point within the list of chats and accessible via a special key present in the header of the conversation which allows you to expand the cell. This feature has now been extended to more beta testers.
We finish the extensive overview with the beta version 2.23.10.6 for Android in which the optimized user interface, already seen in a previous beta version in the last few weeks, has been made available to more beta testers.
Unlike the iOS counterpart, the WhatsApp interface for Android is cumbersome and not very immediate, given that to access most of the features click on the three dots at the top rightnext to the search magnifier. The only key on the bottom is the one for accessing the selection of contacts.
The new optimized interface of Whatsapp presents a navigation bar at the bottom for greater convenience of use with a smartphone in one hand. The bar hosts keys for accessing contacts, communities, status and voice calls. The other settings remain accessible via the three dots at the top right, near the search button. Also, there is an option to access the camera and image gallery to share.
