WhatsApp's latest update will let users hide media from phone gallery

WhatsApp has recently begun rolling out the new beta update for its Android app. The new update (v 2.18.159) is said to bring a number of useful features for the messaging app. The latest update introduces a new 'Media Visibility' option that will allow a user to select whether the WhatsApp shared media in their phone's gallery will be visible to others or not. WhatsApp has also introduced a shortcut to create new contacts and groups that are similar to the iOS version of the app.

It is being reported that the new Media Visibility feature will further allow a user to choose if they want their shared media content to be displayed in the phone's gallery. Interested users can find the Media Visibility option in the app's settings inside the 'Data and Storage Usage' option. The new options states "Show media in gallery...Show all downloaded WhatsApp media in gallery outside WhatsApp".

It would be worth noting the fact that, the feature at the moment is not available for all WhatsApp beta users and even the devices that had this feature didn't seem to work properly. We checked for the feature in one of the devices that we are using and the feature seems to be missing as of now. Also, it is being said that the feature is currently in testing phase. The feature will begin working properly with the next update.

The other feature that has been added in the latest beta update is a shortcut to create new contacts. A user can find the new shortcuts by clicking on the new message button which I placed at the bottom right corner. WhatsApp earlier showed only the New group option, however, with the latest update, the New contact option can be seen below the New group icon.

Also, in one of our recent articles related to WhatsApp, we covered that Facebook-owned messaging app is getting many new features to make it easier for you. One such feature is the support for group video calling. Earlier, there were reports that WhatsApp is testing group video calls letting you add up to four members to the call. Now, the ability has been rolled out to select users via an update. It is expected that the update will be rolled out widely in the coming weeks, read the complete story here.