WhatsApp's new holiday features include missed call messages allowing voice or video notes instead of voicemails, emoji reactions during voice chats, and speaker spotlight in group video calls. Meta AI enhancements improve image creation and animation for chats and status. A new media tab on desktop helps organize files, and link previews are cleaner. Status stickers and interactive questions on Channels boost engagement.
WhatsApp now offers AI-generated backgrounds for video calls, adding new filters and effects to enhance user experience. This feature lets users customize call backgrounds with presets like beaches and forests. It follows earlier updates like chat themes and marks Meta's first AI background tool on WhatsApp, aiming to boost professional use. The update raises questions about authenticity but signals more AI integration ahead.
WhatsApp introduces Writing Help, an AI tool using Private Processing to keep messages private while offering tone suggestions like professional or funny. Meta never reads messages or rewrites. The feature is optional and off by default. Security audits by NCC Group and Trail of Bits confirm its privacy. Users activate it by tapping a pencil icon in chats.
WhatsApp has introduced Message Summaries, an AI feature that privately summarizes unread messages in group chats to help users catch up quickly. It uses Private Processing technology to ensure privacy, with no one else seeing the summaries or messages. The feature is optional, off by default, and users can control which chats use AI features. It's currently available in English in the US, with plans to expand.
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WhatsApp is adding ads and new features to its Updates tab, used by 1.5 billion daily users, without affecting personal chats. Users can subscribe to channels for exclusive content, and admins can promote channels. Ads will appear in Status to help users discover businesses. Personal messages remain end-to-end encrypted, and ad targeting uses limited data like location and followed channels. Phone numbers won't be shared with advertisers.
WhatsApp has launched its app for iPad, offering an integrated experience with features like video and audio calls for up to 32 people, screen sharing, and use of front and back cameras. It supports iPadOS multitasking features and works with Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil. The app syncs across devices with end-to-end encryption and includes privacy features like chat lock. Available now on the App Store.
WhatsApp now offers voice chat for groups of all sizes, allowing live audio conversations without leaving the group chat or making a call. Anyone can start a voice chat by swiping up and holding at the bottom of the chat. Voice chats don't notify members, letting them join or leave anytime. The chat stays pinned for easy access, and all voice chats are end-to-end encrypted for privacy.
Meta is creating Private Processing for AI on WhatsApp, enabling users to process messages securely without exposing data to Meta or WhatsApp. This technology uses a Trusted Execution Environment to ensure confidentiality and user control, allowing independent verification of security. It aims to enhance privacy while providing AI features like message summarization, with measures against threats and openness to external audits and feedback.
WhatsApp offers end-to-end encryption for messages and calls, along with features like disappearing messages and chat lock. The new "Advanced Chat Privacy" setting blocks chat exports, auto-downloads, and AI usage of messages, enhancing protection in sensitive discussions. This feature is particularly useful in groups with less familiar members. Users can activate it by tapping the chat name, and it is rolling out in the latest WhatsApp version.
