The Biggest WhatsApp Update in Years is Now Available: Here's What You Need to Know

 

ARTICLE CENTENT 

 

A/ Rich Communication Services (RCS)

B/ Dark Mode

C/ Voice Calling and Video Chat

D/ Goodbye Yellow Pink Blue Green Blue-Grey Or Beige… Just Pick A Color And Stick With It!

E/ Summary

The Biggest WhatsApp Update in Years is Now Available:

 

The world of social media is changing rapidly, and users are responding in kind. In fact, users are abandoning their traditional networks in droves. Sites like Facebook and Twitter have been losing active users at an alarming rate. Newer platforms like Instagram or SnapChat are thriving on the back of millennials who feel that these sites offer a more intimate, private experience.

These "new" networks have essentially rediscovered what made chat apps like WhatsApp so popular among millennials in the first place: a focus on simple, secure communication. In response to this shift, almost every major chat app that once had a traditional “Social Network” model now has an emphasis on chat as its primary feature. Apps like WhatsApp or Telegram have thrived by keeping things simple and safe for their users. In this article, we’ll be going over the biggest changes to WhatsApp from its beta version to the official release of version v2.19 as of June 15th, 2019.

 

Rich Communication Services (RCS)

As we’ve mentioned before, RCS has been the backbone for a lot of the new features added to WhatsApp. Some of you might remember that RCS was supposed to become the next-gen SMS, with all the intrinsic security and "end-to-end encryption" that comes with it. That never happened. While the telecom industry never fully embraced RCS, they gave WhatsApp a chance with RCS-enabled features like Chat ID, Media Share, Better Group Chat etc. For example, Chat ID is basically a better version of "Read Receipts." Chat ID basically allows you to replace the standard "read receipt" with a personalized icon that represents you. In addition, it also allows you to see the last time the person actually opened your message.

 

Dark Mode

We’ve all seen websites or apps with a “dark mode” and have wondered why they seem so much more appealing at night. Well, apparently, studies show that the human eye is more attracted to dark colors than light colors. Furthermore, dark colors absorb light, which could reduce eyestrain for some users. In any case, the addition of a dark mode to WhatsApp is a welcome one. It gives users another option for how their app looks, which is always a good thing. If a user finds the app easier to read with its dark mode switched on, then that’s a win for everyone. In fact, the dark mode is the biggest addition to WhatsApp visually. It makes the entire interface darker, with a few changes to the icons to make them stand out more.

 

Voice Calling and Video Chat

While Video Chatting is something users have been requesting since WhatsApp entered the scene, Voice Calling is something that we never really expected to get. With Video Chat, we could understand why it might have taken them so long to roll it out. But Voice Calling doesn’t make much sense. After all, it’s just a glorified (and slightly expensive) version of text-based communication. Why would it take so long to roll out?

 

Goodbye Yellow Pink Blue Green Blue-Grey Or Beige… Just Pick A Color And Stick With It!

We’re not sure what happened to the "colors" used for the WhatsApp interface. What was once vibrant, yet still muted enough to not be obnoxious, have become a confusing mix of colors that are almost barely visible as a result. It almost seems as if they’ve given up on trying to choose a color scheme at all. But thankfully, they’ve seen the error of their ways and have given us the option to select our own colors. Instead of a confusing, muddled mess of colors, now we have a sleek interface that lets us use any color we want.

 

Summary

Overall, this update brings a lot of much-needed improvements to WhatsApp. It finally looks like a modern app, and the communication features are much more polished. While the update was supposed to be released in early 2019, it was delayed due to bugs. Now that it has been released, though, it’s clear that the wait was worth it. With new features like RCS and improved visuals, as well as the inclusion of a dark mode, this update feels more like an entirely new app. If you’re an avid WhatsApp user, it’s definitely worth updating to get all these new features. If you haven’t used WhatsApp in a while, this is definitely a good time to come back. This update is one of the most significant changes to WhatsApp in years, and it really shows.