WhatsApp for Android Set to Bring Shared Link Previews

WhatsApp for Android appears set to get a URL preview feature in a future update. The latest version of the app (v2.12.312) which is now available from the company's website as well as from APK Mirror adds a rich preview feature to the instant messaging service, as per reports.

The rich preview feature however generates a preview for a shared link on the sender side and doesn't show the preview on the receiver side, which indicates that the company may still be working on the feature. The report points out that even if the recipient has the latest WhatsApp for Android version 2.12.312, the preview won't show up and it will appear as plain URL.

Gadgets 360 tried the both build 2.12.312 and the latest 2.12.313 build of the app now (available from the company's website) for sending a URL but were unable to see any preview on either side. This indicates that WhatsApp may be testing the feature with limited users and a wider rollout with the feature can be expected to hit the Google Play soon.

The report also clarifies that currently the rich preview only appears for URLs and not for image links. A link shared from Instagram or Twitter will only show the caption in snippets with no option to enlarge the preview thus forcing the user to open the link itself.

Recently, WhatsApp for Android officially received backup and restore options for chat history and media via Google Drive.