WhatsApp has updated its Windows Phone app to introduce a new design and many new features. The update arrives for the WhatsApp Windows Phone 8.1 and Windows 10 Mobile app, and bumps the version up to 2.17.52.
The WhatsApp v2.17.52 update for Windows Phone increases the media sharing cap limit to 30 files. Previously, users could share up to 10 photos and videos at one time only. This was a pain point for many when sharing photos and videos with other friends after a wedding/ event/ or a holiday trip. The WhatsApp increase of cap limit to 30 media files brings more breathing space for sharing bulk photos. iPhone users also got similar raise in cap limits in a recent update, while it's still in beta for Android users.
Mspoweruser reports that the WhatsApp update also brings a redesigned home page, which essentially involves switching to Microsoft's new Pivot style seen in many native apps like People and Photos.
WhatsApp is working on overhauling its Status Messages feature as well. The latest beta version of WhatsApp for Windows Phone shows that the Facebook-owned company looks to bring new functionalities with the improved Status section. WhatsApp, in the future, will serve notifications every time a user changes its status. WhatsApp will let you mute and unmute status notifications for specific users, and even let you view the mute list if required. The new WhatsApp Status Message feature will also let you reply to your contacts' status messages, a feature that seems to be borrowed from Snapchat Stories. This ability was seen in WhatsApp beta for Windows Phone 2.17.44+ version.
The new WhatsApp Status feature has been cropping up on many versions of Android and iOS as well. The feature is essentially looking to notify users when one of their contacts changes their status message. However, there are a lot of improvements coming for the WhatsApp Status feature, most notably the push notification, and the ability to delete the status in 24 hours.
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