WhatsApp just added new photo sharing and quick reply features to amp up your messaging
WhatsApp is amping up its photo sharing and messaging abilities for iPhone users.
The Facebook-owned chat platform just dropped a new update on Monday, and included in the release are new Albums and Filters features for photo sharing, and a new quick reply function.
WhatsApp has a variety of ways for users to share photos and videos, including its popular Status feature (a clone of Snapchat Stories which leapfrogged OG Snapchat for total daily users last month) and by sharing files directly with contacts in chats. But sharing photos directly with contacts could be an overwhelming experience, with photos listing out completely in the body of chat, no matter the number of photo shared.
Now, to help you stay organized, WhatsApp added a new Albums feature that'll organize photos for you automatically, grouping any collection of four or more photos or videos together in a tile display you can view within your message thread.
The update only helps you keep your photos organized in the app though. You'll still have to manually restrict the app from automatically saving images from your friends directly to your phone's camera roll (which is the one image sharing feature that could have stood to be changed, tbh).
The update wasn't only about photo organization. The app also added a new Filters feature, giving users five new choices — pop, black and white, cool, chrome, and film — to doctor pics, videos, and GIFs directly within the WhatsApp camera. You can also edit files that were already on your phone, in case you hadn't yet put them through the ringer on Instagram.
WhatsApp's last update is more utilitarian and likely to welcome addition for users: a new quick reply shortcut. With the new feature, users will be able to reply directly to any message with a quick right swipe, speeding up the chat process.
A WhatsApp rep confirmed that the new features will only be available on iOS users to start, with Android users in line for an update sometime in the near future.
The updates are just another way WhatsApp is morphing into a more fully-realized social media network ... but don't expect to see a full timeline in the app anytime soon.
Topics Social Media WhatsApp
Brett Williams is a Tech Reporter at Mashable. He writes about tech news, trends and other tangentially related topics with a particular interest in wearables and exercise tech. Prior to Mashable, he wrote for Inked Magazine and Thrillist. Brett's work has also appeared on Fusion and AskMen, to name a few. You can follow Brett on Twitter @bdwilliams910.
