WhatsApp is testing a new feature that could make life less painful when changing your contact number. As your WhatsApp is often tied with your phone number, it is always a pain to let users known that you have changed your number, and you end up either sending a broadcast to all your contacts informing them about the change, or just let users know in due time. WhatsApp is trying to ease this transition, and is testing a feature that will notify your friends and family about your number change for you. Separately, it appears the Live Location sharing feature that was recently introduced by both Facebook and Google will make its way to WhatsApp soon.
WhatsApp beta for Windows Phone 2.17.130: new change number feature, to notify your contacts about your new number (DISABLED BY DEFAULT) pic.twitter.com/FpZWHH3MS3
— WABetaInfo (@WABetaInfo) April 15, 2017
The First feature that the company is working on a notification option to notify your contacts when you change your contact number. The option is under test for WhatsApp Beta version 2.17.130 on Windows Phone update. The option has two settings, the first to notify to all your contacts and the second to notify the contacts you have chat conversations with.
Users can choose to send their new phone number to all contacts, to only those who they chat frequently with, or not use the feature at all. The functionality is reportedly disabled by default. Since the feature is still in beta, it’s unclear if it’ll ever make it to all users.
This new feature will come in handy and you will not need to send a separate WhatsApp message notifying people that you have changed your contact number. This new update comes days after the introduction of new contextual menu and updates to the revoke message feature.
WhatsApp beta for Android 2.17.150: The live location feature is also available for individual chats! (DISABLED BY DEFAULT) pic.twitter.com/o4bzUU69H8
— WABetaInfo (@WABetaInfo) April 15, 2017
The latest feature that Live Location sharing feature, @WABetaInfo claims that WhatsApp beta for Android v2.17.150 contains mention of the feature, however, it is disabled by default. Not much more is known about this currently, but should be a boon for users endeavouring to coordinate a rendezvous. Mentions of the feature first showed up in the betas for Android (v2.16.399) and iPhone (v2.17.3.28( back in January, which featured an option to turn location sharing on as a broadcast – enabling contacts to see each other on a map.
The feature was initially limited to Groups where people could share locations with the members of a particular group to coordinate better by helping them in directions. The users had the option to turn it on for the defined time period after which it would switch off to conserve the battery of your smartphone device. Now the feature is available for individual chats and you can share location with anyone on your contact list.
