WhatsApp will soon let users sort all media received by date or size, and select multiple files to delete, forward, or download them.
WhatsApp already offers a consolidated media management feature on its mobile apps
Photo Credit: Unsplash/ Grant Davies
WhatsApp is reportedly working on a feature that will make it easier for users to view and manage all the media that they have received or sent while using WhatsApp Web. A new unified media browser, which is currently in development, is expected to roll out to WhatsApp Web users in the future. WhatsApp already offers a similar unified media section on WhatsApp for Android and iOS that allows users to view all media across chats and groups on their smartphone.
Feature tracker WABetaInfo spotted a new "chat media hub" on a recent, unspecified version of WhatsApp Web. This is said to be a centralised hub that enables users to see a consolidated view of media they have sent or received from users on the Meta-owned messaging platform. It's still in development, and even testers don't currently have access to the feature.
The new chat media hub on WhatsApp Web
Photo Credit: WABetaInfo
WABetaInfo managed to enable the user interface for the feature and shared a screenshot that gives us an idea of what to expect from the upcoming chat media hub. When the app is launched, users will see images, videos, and GIFs from all the chats on their account.
The upcoming hub will also display two additional tabs that show all the links and documents across all their WhatsApp chats. Unlike the media viewer which shows content in a grid layout, the documents, and links view will provide additional context including the name of the sender and when the file or link was sent.
The feature tracker also states that the media hub will support batch operations, allowing users to select multiple files and download, forward, or delete them. It is also shown to feature a search bar and sorting button that is said to allow sorting of content by date or size.
One of the biggest advantages of the new unified chat media hub is the ability to quickly identify large media files for deletion, which can free up space on a user's computer. It can also help users find media, links, or documents, especially when they do cannot recall when or where they were sent or received.
It's currently unclear whether the media hub will exclude media, documents, and links from locked chats, or whether WhatsApp will allow users to display them by entering their secret code. We can expect to learn more about the feature once it begins to roll out to beta testers in the future.
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