A feature tracker has given us our first look at WhatsApp's theme picker on iOS
WhatsApp users be able to initiate chats using usernames instead of phone numbers in the future
Photo Credit: Pexels/ Anton
WhatsApp has been working on adding support for chat themes on more than one occasion, and a feature tracker has now given us a peek at what the feature could look like when it is launched. The messaging app is expected to let users change the colour of the chat bubbles as well as the background using preset themes, or pick their own colour and wallpaper. The company was also spotted working on the ability to pick a username and set a PIN that protects them from unknown users on WhatsApp.
Earlier this month, feature tracker WABetaInfo spotted a new theme picker menu in development on a previous beta version of WhatsApp for Android. While the picker did not include any themes on that version, the WhatsApp beta for iOS 24.17.10.71 update contains previews of some of these themes.
WhatsApp's theme picker on iOS
Photo Credit: WABetaInfo
When the feature is eventually rolled out, WhatsApp will offer users 10 theme presets to choose from, according to the feature tracker. A few screenshots of the theme picker in action show two horizontally scrolling rows of themes. The top row includes solid colour backgrounds while the bottom row includes themes based on landscape art — all the themes have chat bubble colours based on the colour of the background.
It's important to note that the theme picker isn't actually available to beta testers at the moment as it is still in development, so even if you've installed the latest beta version of WhatsApp for iOS via TestFlight, you will still have to wait until the feature is ready to be tested. WABetaInfo claims that these themes will only be seen by the user who applies them, unlike Instagram and Messenger, where the same theme is shown to all chat participants.
WhatsApp has been developing a username feature that will allow users to start new conversations without sharing their phone numbers, but that feature is yet to be released to beta testers. It appears that the company is now working a feature that will protect users from unwanted contact after they set up a username.
Username PIN selection on WhatsApp
Photo Credit: WABetaInfo
According to WABetaInfo, the recently released WhatsApp beta for Android 2.24.18.2 update includes details of an advanced "Username PIN" picker. Users will reportedly be shown a prompt to set up a PIN after they set a unique username on WhatsApp.
The WhatsApp feature tracker claims that this feature allows users to set a new passcode that they must share with others in order to start a new conversation using their newly set username. This would allow users to control who can send them messages, and potentially prevent spammers and unwanted chats from reaching users.
Like the theme picker spotted on iOS, this WhatsApp Username PIN feature is still in development, which means that it won't be accessible, even after downloading the latest beta version of WhatsApp for Android. Both of these features will be rolled out to beta testers in the future, before they are made available to users on the stable channel.
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