WhatsApp is constantly updating its application for Android, adding new features. While this is the most widely used version worldwide, not everyone has the opportunity to check their mobile phones and instead opt for the web version. The browser client is typically last on the priority list, but that’s about to change.
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According to reports from WABetainfo, WhatsApp for Web will receive a new feature to filter your contacts. The latest beta includes the ability to mark a contact as a favorite to distinguish it from the rest. With this update, users will be able to easily find the people they frequently chat with.
Contacts in this category can be viewed directly from the chat search. WhatsApp has added the “Favorites” label to the search bar to filter conversations from those you’ve categorized. This section also includes the “Add Favorite” button for you to select from your list of contacts.
Image Source: WABetaInfo
The Favorites feature is available in the latest beta version of WhatsApp for Web and is accessible to those who are enrolled. This feature debuted in version 24.3.10.70 of WhatsApp for iOS in early February, although it was only available to those participating in the TestFlight program. In both cases, the functionality is similar, and the messaging client offers the option to add your contacts to this category.
It will be important to see how the Favorites feature works and how it streamlines communication. Currently, most WhatsApp users utilize the option to pin chats to the top to access their frequent contacts. While this alternative is practical, it’s limited to three conversations.
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WhatsApp Prepares for Unprecedented Change
In addition to the Favorites feature or the ability to create stickers without leaving the application, WhatsApp is about to undergo one of its most significant changes. The messaging client has been designated as a gatekeeper under Europe’s new Digital Markets Act (DMA). As a result, Meta is required to make it interoperable with other messaging apps.
With just a few weeks until the DMA goes into effect, WhatsApp has outlined the steps it will take to allow you to communicate with users of other applications. Under this law, it would be possible to message people using Telegram, Viber, Signal, or any external client. The change is substantial and will require WhatsApp to activate certain protocols to maintain the security of conversations.
In an interview with Wired, Dick Brouwer, WhatsApp’s director of engineering, stated that interested companies will need to sign an agreement committing to ensuring message privacy. Brouwer mentioned that external applications will need to encrypt conversations using the Signal protocol or demonstrate the use of secure technology.
“The approach we’re trying to adopt is for WhatsApp to document our client-server protocol and allow third-party clients to connect directly to our infrastructure and exchange messages with WhatsApp clients,” the engineering chief said.
The company is confident that it has found the perfect balance to carry out interoperability without compromising security. However, some privacy experts and company’s own chief have previously stated that the law could undermine all the progress they have made in this area.
Interoperability will be optional and will only apply to users within the European Union.
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