Are you an Android user, WhatsApp has finally rolled out v2.12.250.
The update which has come after a month of beta testing brings a number of new features.
These new features give you more control over your messaging options with the new update, and also gives you more emojis and decreases the amount of data used in WhatsApp calls.
The new features that the latest WhatsApp update has brought to Android include:
Mark as Unread: This enables Android users can mark messages as unread even after reading them. Please note that this feature does not make it appear as if you have not read the message yet, Your messages will appear as read to senders even after you mark them as unread. Instead, it can be used to highlight messages so you can get back to them later.
Custom notifications: If you have always wanted to set a specific ringtone for a contact, you can select any song from your playlist, so you know the messages and calls are from that particular person even without looking at your smartphone.
Similarly, you can set notification light colours, custom call and message ringtones, enable or disable vibrations and pop-up notifications for each contact.
Mute individual contacts: Previously you were able to mute group conversations, but with the new update Android users are able to mute individual contacts as well. To mute any person on your contact list, check the Mute bar in the About menu. Slide the Mute bar to the right and you will see duration for which you can mute the chat: 8 hours, a week, or a year.
Lower data consumption in WhatsApp calls: This is for people who make a lot of WhatsApp calls and want to reduce data consumption. Under Chats and Calls menu in Settings, you will notice a new option called Low Data Usage at the bottom of the scroll. Just click the box and you will be able to save some data while making voice calls using WhatsApp.
New emojis and more skin tones: The new update brings a set of new emojis, such as the Spock salute, the rather-rude middle finger, more diverse facial emojis. Several emojis now come in different skin tones.
When WhatsApp (or Snapchat, for that matter) releases just a minor update, every single tech site reports about it in great detail, even if there aren’t any noteworthy features introduced! And this while there are messengers around (e.g., Telegram or Threema) that are way better than WhatsApp but hardly get press when they release killer features. Pity.