The reported feature is speculated to make managing chats on WhatsApp easier by bringing a new shortcut for marking chats as 'read'.
WhatsApp's reported feature is still in development and is not available to beta testers yet
Photo Credit: Unsplash/Mika Baumeister
WhatsApp for Android may be testing a new feature that lets users mark all chats as read at once with a new shortcut, according to claims by a feature tracker. The functionality was spotted in a beta version of the app but may not be available to users yet. It is speculated to work similarly to the ‘mark read' feature on the iOS version of the app which changes the status from unread to read. Its development builds upon other reportedly in-development features of the instant messaging service, including the ability to clear the unread messages count.
According to the WhatsApp feature tracker WABetaInfo, the messaging client is developing the feature as a new tool for better management of chats. It was spotted on the WhatsApp beta for Android version 2.24.18.11. Following its rollout, users may have the option to clear their unread message count by marking all received messages as ‘read'.
Shortcut for Marking Chats 'Read' on WhatsApp
Photo Credit: WABetaInfo
As per the screenshot shared by the feature tracker, it appears in the overflow menu that can be accessed in the top-right corner of the screen below the starred messages option. While the option to mark all messages read is already available on WhatsApp for Android, it requires several steps, such as selecting all messages and then tapping the mark as read option. Its rollout may allow quicker access to it.
WABetaInfo claims that the new shortcut is still in development and may not be available to even beta testers who have registered themselves via the Google Play Beta program. It could be introduced with a future update of that app. However, it is crucial to note that while developers test many features in beta, not all of them make their way to the public rollout stage.
In addition to the above mentioned shortcut, WhatsApp is also reportedly developing other new functionalities. One of the recently reported features is said to bring AR capabilities for video calls to the platform. It is speculated to enable users to customise environmental factors, such as lighting conditions and background, in video calls. Additionally, it also includes a dedicated light mode and touch-up filters that claim to tweak the appearance in real-time.
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