This year has been fairly busy for the makers ofWhatsAppas the chat app unwrapped a bunch of features for its users. After being in development for a few months, WhatsApp finally unleashed Channels to the massesin the middle of 2023while making some changes to its functionality along the way. For instance, a beta version of the app in October revealed the addition ofmessage editing in Channels, while a later release introducedmessage forwarding to Channels. We’re now coming across another change to this feature, specifically related to sharing channel posts as a status update.
As per the folks over atWABetaInfo, version2.24.1.6of WhatsApp beta for Android comes with a tweaked UI for channel messages shared through status updates. Channel posts will now include a button and a new layout to make them stand out and direct users to the source of the information.
This wouldn’t be quite new for a Meta-owned service. Avid Instagram users would know that sharing a post via Stories in this fashion also carries a similar interface. Considering how WhatsApp has been trying to bridge the gapbetween itself and its sister service, this particular UI tweak doesn’t strike us as surprising.
Given that the goal of Channels is to make information readily available to millions of people, it can help to get some additional context on the content being shared. WhatsApp already has a flagging system in place for Status and Channel updates that are deemed harmful or in violation of its policies. Users can tap the three-dot icon on the top right, tap Report, and take it from there.
Besides including this new interface for Channel updates, WhatsApp beta 2.24.1.6 also fixes a UI bug on the app, per a separate WABetaInforeport.
The issue in question pertains to a large blue block on the bottom half of the screen, supposedly triggered after closing the attachment sheet. This could potentially hide part of the conversation or the chat wallpaper, as shown above. The publication claims this visual bug seeped through with WhatsApp beta for Android version2.23.26.12.
Outside of these visual changes to Channels, WhatsApp has also made it easier toshare individual Channel messagesin the recent past. Meanwhile, people who routinely access WhatsApp’s linked devices should soon be able topost or remove status updatesfrom a companion device.
While 2023 has seen the introduction ofseveral new featureson WhatsApp, we expect next year to spring up some more surprises for the app’s vast user base.
