WhatsApp, the most popular messaging app in the world with 1.2 billion users globally and 200 million in India, is loved for its minimalism and non-intrusive UI. However, one area where this minimalism does not work in WhatsApp’s favour is the camera, which is rather basic compared to rival apps, and makes users lose out on a bunch of add-ons they can enjoy elsewhere. However, it seems WhatsApp is fixing that with a new update, which adds a new shooting mode for better photos in the dark.
WhatsApp Camera UI on iPhone (left), and Android (right)
Called ‘Night Mode’ in the WhatsApp translation page, uncovered by the folks at PhoneRadar, the new feature is designed to deliver photos in lowlight conditions. To turn WhatsApp Night Mode on in the in-app camera, tap on the crescent moon icon on the top-right corner, next to the flash toggle. When you tap on the crescent moon icon, the feature will be activated and the photo taken will be brighter than earlier.
Interestingly, the Night Mode icon appears by default only when the camera sensor detects lowlight conditions, and not otherwise. Once it does appear, it is inactive by default and you need to tap on it to turn it on. The icon changes colour to yellow to show Night Mode is activated. The feature is available in photos only, and we did not notice any change in lighting while recording videos, nor was there the WhatsApp Night Mode icon in video mode.
WhatsApp Photos Without Night Mode (left), and With Night Mode (right)
For now, the Night Mode feature is available only on the latest version of WhatsApp for iPhone, and is not yet available on Android, even beta. There is no word yet regarding when this feature will be released in Android. On the other hand, rival apps already offer in-app filters, and other features to make photos and videos more fun.
This is just the latest in a slew of new WhatsApp features released for Android smartphones and iPhones. Just last week, native emoji search function, photo bundling, and a new call screen UI were made available on WhatsApp beta for Android, while video streaming option was released for iPhones. Of course, the most eagerly awaited new WhatsApp feature is unsend, which allows the user to recall sent messages within a specific time period.
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