WhatsApp Rolls Out Blocked Contact Notice, New Icons And More

WhatsApp is rolling out several new features to enhance the user experience on both Android and iOS. Usually, new features are rolled out to the beta versions for testing purposes. Going by the same, the beta updates for Android and iOS come with some developing features.

The Android beta version 2.19.332 gets two new features. One shows blocked contact notice within chats and the other shows groups that blocked contacts into various categories. The iOS beta version 2.19.120.20 comes with design changes and references to the new multi-platform system.

WhatsApp Android Beta Update

Talking about the WhatsApp Android beta update, a report by WABetaInfo notes that the company is working on a feature that will show blocked contact notice in chat. It shows whenever you have blocked and unblocked a contact.

Each time a contact is blocked, WhatsApp will display a bubble in the chat stating "You blocked this contact. Tap to unblock". Notably, similar info will appear even when you unblock a contact. The report further states that the bubble will be added only in your chat and the contact you blocked or unblocked will not be notified.

Going by the report, the other feature, which has been rolled out to the Android beta version is the ability to sort the blocked contacts into multiple categories. It will automatically group the blocked contacts following particular criteria. For instance, all business contacts will be moved to a specific section.

The report states that the sorting will be automatic and you need not do it manually, which is impressive. The app will learn that contacts belong to businesses and will move them into the other section. This will be introduced in Blocked Contacts only. Well, both these features are available in the beta version and will be rolled out to the stable version of the app later.

WhatsApp iOS Beta Update

Talking about the iOS beta version 2.19.120.20, WhatsApp features redesigned elements such as chat icons, read receipts, cell animations, etc., claims WABetaInfo. The Splash Screen gets references to Facebook and redesigns to the old footer. There are also redesigns made to the contact image when the profile picture or group icon has not been added.

It is also said to have the rumored multi-patform system, which will let users access the app from a second device. This will be done with a registration code that will be sent to the primary email account on the user's device along with a warning. This paves the way for a more secure way to use the multi-platform feature when it is released later.