Summary
- Beta testers of WhatsApp Web are seeing a new sidebar that offers easier navigation and access to essential sections.
- Meanwhile, WhatsApp is updating its design with more thumbnail previews for better clarity when media is shared.
- New features and designs are slowly rolling out, so be patient if you don’t see the changes just yet.
If you’re using WhatsApp on your tablet or on another device, you may have noticed the features are largely the same as they are on your phone. From time to time, WhatsApp changes its design to keep its users interested and give them something nicer to look at — for example, the latest change brings more thumbnail previews to chats, hoping to give users better clarity when media is shared. WhatsApp Web is also going through a change, but when will you get it?
WhatsApp’s latest change could bring more thumbnail previews in chat
The change will bring better clarity for users when media is shared as a file
As explained by WABetaInfo, WhatsApp is rolling out a new sidebar for web users, hoping to give them a better navigation, more intuitive design, and faster access to essential sections. Unfortunately, it’s only available for its beta testers who are a part of the official beta program. The new sidebar is something that has been in testing since last year, but it’s slowly making its way to the surface in the latest beta update.
Source: WABetaInfo
Beta testers will see the change with WhatsApp Web beta 2.3000.1012734542 and will have easy access to Channels, Chats, Archive, Communities, and Starred Messages. Don’t worry if you don’t see the changes just yet, since they’re going to roll out in the coming weeks. Besides the previously mentioned options, WhatsApp Web is also working on a favorites filter that’s going to allow users to lay aside their frequently contacted chat list. The new design won’t bring new features but will make accessing the already existing ones better.
WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging apps out there, so it makes sense that parent company Meta wants to keep users coming back with new features and designs. There is no date as to when everyone will see the new changes, but it should be a matter of weeks judging by past rollouts, so we can start criticizing WhatsApp about how it could’ve made them better. For example, since the Meta AI experiment is now live for more users, you can bet that users will find its flaws before WhatsApp does. There is also a link privacy feature WhatsApp users will be able to enjoy, but there’s not much to critique on that one.
