Android users of our favourite instant messaging app will soon be able to enjoy a couple of new features. According to WaBetaInfo, the latest 2.17.105 Beta version of WhatsApp for Android devices will add a new pinning feature and the video call button. Let’s see how you can use them.
The ‘Pinned chats’ feature will allow users to pin chats (even if, for the moment, not more than three). Why is this option useful? Because once you pin a message, it will always appear on the top, doesn’t matter how many messages will follow it. Needless to say, it will really help you saving time, since you won’t have to scroll through all your messages to find the one you are really interested in.
If you intend to use this option frequently, you might keep in mind that this feature is disabled by default, so you need to remember to turn it on in chat settings. Avid users of instant messaging apps certainly know that the Pinned Chats feature is not completely new, as also Telegram has just added a similar feature to its new update.
Now, the Video Call button. Since its introduction, WhatsApp users have made large use of the Video Calling feature. Now, thanks to integration of the Video Call button in the contact info, it’s even more easy to use this option. Depending on the moment (and of course on the contact) you have now three instant ways to reach your contacts: you can text them, call them or video call. All of this straight from the contact page.
If these are wonderful news for the Android users of the Facebook-owned service, we cannot say the same for WhatsApp Web users, who have just had to face the risk to be exposed to hackers. Security researchers of Check Point have just found out a bug that would have allowed hackers to take over users’ account just with a simple message. Reserchers said that “Attackers could potentially download your photos and or post them online, send messages on your behalf, demand ransom and even take over your friends’ accounts,” but thankfully WhatsApp has immediately fixed the problem.
That’s what WhatsApp stated about the problem, which was discovered in the end-to-end encryption of the app: “When Check Point reported the issue, we addressed it within a day and released an update of WhatsApp for web.” In order to be sure that their WhatsApp accounts are safe, the company suggestion to users is to restart their browsers, and to make sure to use an updated version of the app.