跳至正文

WhatsApp Business: Latest WhatsApp Feature Updates In 2020-2021

WhatsApp Business: Latest WhatsApp Feature Updates

Whatsapp is one of the most widely used messaging apps and finds its use in both personal as well as business conversations. Ever since its launch in 2009, WhatsApp has gained popularity fast and wide. By the end of 2020, it had more than 1.5 billion active monthly users worldwide and counting. WhatsApp features allow its users to interact with one another easily making it a favorite among individuals and businesses alike. 

In 2018, Facebook rolled out an exclusive business app WhatsApp Business with features such as business profile, product catalog, quick replies, and organized chats.   The product was an instant hit among businesses small and big, as it gave them a means to communicate with their clients through a medium they were familiar with. Here are some of the latest WhatsApp feature updates which were added to the messaging platform in 2020. 

Latest WhatsApp Feature Updates in 2020

Ever since its launch, Whatsapp has added several advanced features and updates to its app which has made doing business on this platform even more simple and has also improved user experience. Here are 10 features that were added to WhatsApp in 2020:

1. WhatsApp Payments

Image Source: https://www.whatsapp.com/payments/

This was the biggest and the most awaited feature release, especially in India. WhatsApp payments feature was designed in partnership with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and use the Unified Payment Interface (UPI) payment system to enables transactions across multiple banks. The aim of introducing WhatsAppPay was to make payments fast and easy, just like sending a text message. 

Though this feature was already in trail runs in India by February 2018, it was rolled out in a phased manner on February 7, 2020, after it received NPCI’s approval.

How to enable the feature

The feature comes pre-enabled in the latest WhatsApp update and can be found under the ‘three dots’ dropdown menu. Once you click on the payments option, click the ‘Add payments method’  and fill in your band details to proceed with SMS verification.  Once the verification is done, fill in your UPI pin to send and receive payments through WhatsApp. 

How to use

To send or receive payments, click on the  ‘Attachments’ icon and select ‘Payments’, and add the amount you wish to send. You can also add personal notes while sending the payment.

2. Storage management tool

Image Source: https://www.theindianwire.com/mobile-apps/whatsapps-new-storage-management-tool-is-now-live-check-how-to-use-it-297824/

Storage management has always been an issue for WhatsApp users as it takes up maximum storage space.  However, users can organize their storage and delete their forwarded texts, videos, and pictures with the new management tool which was launched in 2020.  

With the new storage management tool, WhatsApp users can easily identify, review, and delete content in bulk to free up more storage capacity on their mobile phones. This tool also allows users to identify and delete files that have been forwarded multiple times in WhatsApp. Users can also view files in thumbnails under several categories such as “larger than 5 MB” to make decluttering faster and easy.

This WhatsApp feature update is extremely useful especially in India where most users have enabled the auto-download media option and are usually members of several family and friend groups, where users mostly forward messages, videos, and images.

How to enable the feature

The feature comes pre-enabled in the latest update and can be found under the settings menu.

How to use

To use the latest storage management tool go to ‘Settings’, and click on ‘Storage and Data’ and then ‘Manage Storage’  to view all your data labeled under categories. 

3. Disappearing messages

Disappearing messages
Image Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/technology/social/whatsapp-disappearing-messages-feature-how-to-use-what-it-means-6960105/

Magical as it sounds, this feature lets users send messages in chats that will automatically disappear after 7 days. This WhatsApp feature updates again aims at reducing clutter on the platform while keeping all your conversations even more private. 

How to enable the feature

You can enable the ‘disappearing messages’ feature in WhatsApp, by opening a particular chat and going to the ‘Informations’ section, where you can choose from various options such as  ‘Disappearing messages’, ‘starred messages’, and ‘encryption’.

4. Customisable wallpapers

Customized wallpaper WhatsApp Feature update
Image Source: https://www.theverge.com/2020/12/1/21754853/whatsapp-custom-chat-wallpapers-sticker-search

A lot of people on WhatsApp like to give a personal touch to their chats with their wallpapers. Now WhatsApp allows its users to customize their wallpapers for each chat to make their favorite and important chats more distinguishable.

How to use

To use the customized wallpaper feature go to ‘Settings’, and click on ‘Wallpaper’ and then select the type of wallpaper you would like to have for the chat. 

5. Advanced search option

Advanced search WhatsApp Feature update
Image Source:https://www.indiatimes.com/technology/news/whatsapp-advanced-search-android-524843.html

 Looking up for any media on WhatsApp always felt like finding a needle in a haystack. Well, not anymore. WhatsApp has introduced an advanced search feature that makes searching for images, videos, links, documents, and GIF’s much easier.  Having this as one of the WhatsApp feature updates, you can now filter the media based on their category. 

How to use

To use this feature go to ‘Search’, and click on the category of media that you are looking for. Scroll through the list and select the media that you were looking for. It’s as simple as that.

6. Mute Always

Mute Always WhatsApp Feature update
Image Source: Twitter.com

We usually come across annoying people that we wish we could mute forever. Well, you can’t do that in real life but with the latest feature upgrade on WhatsApp, you can mute an individual or a group forever with the ‘Always Mute’ option. Unlike the previous options of mute for 8 hrs, 1 week, or 1 year, you can keep not so important family groups and annoying clients on mute forever. 

How to enable the feature

To mute any contact, open WhatsApp, long-press the conversation that you wish to mute, and click on the speaker icon. Here you will get a pop up with mute options such as ‘8 hours’, ‘1 week’, and ‘Always’. Select the Always option to mute the contact forever.

7. Animated stickers

Animated stickers WhatsApp Feature update
Image Source: https://www.fonearena.com/blog/315892/whatsapp-animated-stickers-beta.html

 Stickers add fun to your WhatsApp conversations and are used for expressing various emotions.  The latest upgrade on WhatsApp enables animated sticker packs with funny and interesting illustrations to make your conversations fun.

How to use

Using animated stickers is pretty simple. While typing your message, click on the ‘Smiley’ icon to get a list of options such as Smiley, Stickers, and gifs. Click on Stickers to get a list of default stickers. You can download animated sticker packs of your choice and send them to your contact.  

8. Group video calls

Group video call WhatsApp Feature update
Image Source: https://www.neowin.net/news/how-to-make-group-video-calls-in-whatsapp-with-up-to-eight-people/

 2020 left everyone locked away in their homes and video calls were the only means to socialize. The Group video call feature came as a blessing to all social butterflies and businesses who were not willing to miss out on anything due to the pandemic.  This upgraded feature on WhatsApp allows up to 8 people to join a video call at once. 

How to enable the feature

While you are on a video call with your contact, simply click the ‘+’ button in your call menu to select the contact that you would like to add to your video conference. 

9. QR codes

https://youtu.be/y28WkkiIMuw
Image Source: https://faq.whatsapp.com/general/contacts/how-to-view-your-whatsapp-qr-code/?lang=nb

WhatsApp recently introduced the easiest way to add new contacts to your WhatsApp chats through QR codes. With this new feature, every WhatsApp user is assigned a unique QR code which can be scanned by another person to add you to their chat list.

How to enable the feature

To find your QR code go to ‘More options’ > Business Tools > Short link > View QR Code. You can get your QR code scanned by your contact and start your conversation immediately. 

10. Dark mode

Dark mode WhatsApp Feature update

 Imagine getting a WhatsApp late in the night being blinded by the bright screen. This was the most common issue faced by most WhatsApp users and was resolved with the ‘Dark Mode’ feature. Available across multiple devices, the dark mode lets you enjoy a comfortable conversation even in a dark environment without having to stress your eyes. 

How to enable the feature

You can enable the dark mode by going to your WhatsApp Settings > Chats> Theme. While ‘Light’ is the default setting, you can click it to activate the Dark Mode. 

WhatsApp is one of the most dynamic messaging platforms where we can see new features rolling out frequently. Now that we have entered 2021, some more WhatsApp feature updates have been added to WhatsApp Business. A few of them are sharing links for catalogs, and ‘open for business’ stickers. If you are unable to use some or all of the above-mentioned features, make sure that your phone supports the app, and your WhatsApp is updated to the latest version.