In October 2024, WhatsApp introduced several exciting new features to improve user interaction. The latest WhatsApp new features added in October 2024 aim to make chats, video calls, and community engagement more engaging and efficient.
Here, I will walk you through each feature, explaining how to use it and why it’s worth exploring.
also read: 22 WhatsApp Latest Features Updated in September 2024 You may Know
Tag Contacts in Status Updates
One of the most awaited features is the ability to tag contacts directly in your status. Previously, you could only hope your friends would see your status. Now, you can tag people directly, making sure they’re notified about your status.
This feature is handy for sharing celebrations, updates, or even a funny meme directly with friends. Just like tagging someone in a social media post, you can now ensure your updates reach the right people without extra effort.
How to Use It: To tag someone, open your status, create your update, and tap the “@†symbol to tag a contact. Select the person from your contact list, and your status will be shown to them.
Why It’s Useful: This feature enhances visibility, ensuring that the right people see important updates. For example, you can tag family members for birthday wishes or tag friends in updates related to shared plans.
The WhatsApp new features added in October 2024 also introduced an option to share someone’s status easily. If you see a status update you like, you can now share it with your own contacts or even add it to your status. There’s no need to ask friends to send their status updates or use third-party apps for this purpose. With a simple tap, you can now share statuses directly, making it convenient to spread fun updates or important information among friends.
How to Use It: Tap the status you want to share, select the “Share†option, and choose to add it to your status or send it to specific contacts.
Why It’s Useful: This feature is great for sharing updates without screenshots or third-party apps. For instance, you can share event reminders, important announcements, or funny posts quickly with a wider audience.
React to Status with a Quick Tap
WhatsApp has simplified how you react to friends’ status updates. With the addition of a green heart reaction, you can now show appreciation or support for a friend’s status with a single tap. If you like a holiday picture or a funny video on someone’s status, you don’t need to type a message. A quick tap on the green heart shows you care. It’s a simple and time-saving way to interact with friends without typing.
How to Use It: When viewing a friend’s status, simply tap the green heart below the update. This sends a quick reaction to the status without typing a message.
Why It’s Useful: Reactions save time and provide a non-intrusive way to engage with friends’ updates. Whether it’s a travel photo or a new achievement, this feature lets users show appreciation or support quickly.
Announce Events in Community Groups
WhatsApp has enhanced its community feature with the option to send event announcements in community groups. Now, if you’re planning a birthday, meeting, or any other event, you can share the details with all group members in an organized way. This feature makes it easy to keep everyone updated about event plans without back-and-forth messages. Whether it’s for social gatherings or work meetings, you can now send clear event details in seconds.
How to Use It: In community groups, go to the announcement section, tap “Create Event,†and fill out event details like time, date, and location. Once posted, all community members can see the event.
Why It’s Useful: This feature streamlines event planning, reducing the need for multiple reminder messages. It’s especially helpful for larger communities where keeping everyone on the same page is essential.
Video Call Filters and Backgrounds
To make video calls more entertaining, WhatsApp introduced new filter options and backgrounds. This addition allows you to use filters or change your background during calls. You can add fun effects or pretend you’re in an exotic location. To access this, simply tap the screen during a video call and select the ‘wand’ icon. Whether for professional calls or personal ones, you can now bring a unique twist to your video conversations.
How to Use It: During a video call, tap the screen to bring up controls, select the ‘wand’ icon, and choose from available filters or backgrounds.
Why It’s Useful: Adding a virtual background or filter can make video calls more engaging, whether for personal or professional use. You can add a festive background for a holiday call or a neutral one for a work meeting, allowing for more personalization.
Picture-in-Picture and Speed Adjustments for Videos
The latest WhatsApp updates in October 2024 also introduced picture-in-picture mode and speed adjustments for videos. Now, if you’re watching a video on WhatsApp, you can continue chatting or browsing through your messages using picture-in-picture mode. Plus, if a video is too slow, you can speed it up to watch it faster. This feature is ideal for multi-taskers who want to stay connected while consuming video content at their own pace.
How to Use It: When playing a video, swipe down or use picture-in-picture to move it to a corner of the screen. To adjust speed, tap the speed option to toggle between normal, 1.5x, or 2x playback.
Why It’s Useful: These additions are perfect for multitasking or speeding through long videos. You can watch a shared video while continuing to message other contacts, saving time and keeping you engaged across chats.
Enhanced Community Group Settings and Ownership Transfer
Community admins received helpful upgrades in October 2024, enabling them to manage groups more effectively. Admins can now adjust group visibility, making it easier to control who sees the group. They can also transfer ownership of community groups, which is useful if someone else needs to take over. These updates make it simpler to keep groups organized, especially for admins managing large communities.
How to Use It: Admins can go to group settings, adjust visibility options, or select a contact to transfer ownership. These tools make it easy to pass on responsibilities or limit group visibility.
Why It’s Useful: This feature is valuable for organizing and managing community groups. For example, if an admin needs to step down, they can transfer ownership smoothly, ensuring group activities remain uninterrupted.
8. Add Multiple Admins to Groups
Now, you can assign multiple admins to WhatsApp groups. This means that several people can manage group settings, approve new members, and moderate conversations, making it easier to run active groups efficiently.
How to Use It: Go to the group info section, select “Add Admin,†and choose contacts.
Why It’s Useful: This feature enables shared responsibilities, ensuring group management doesn’t rely on a single person, which is particularly useful in larger groups.
9. Chat Lock for Selected Conversations
You can now lock specific chats with a passcode, Face ID, or fingerprint, ensuring that sensitive conversations remain private. This feature provides an added layer of security for messages you want to keep confidential.
How to Use It: Open the chat you want to lock, tap on “Chat Lock,†and select your preferred security option.
Why It’s Useful: Ideal for users who want extra privacy on certain chats, this feature is especially helpful for work or personal conversations that need extra confidentiality.
10. Transcribe Audio Messages to Text
This feature converts voice messages to text, allowing users to read messages in noisy environments or situations where listening to audio isn’t convenient.
How to Use It: Tap the voice message and select “Transcribe†to convert it into text.
Why It’s Useful: Useful for those who can’t listen to audio messages at that moment but still want to know the content.
11. Schedule Messages for Groups
You can now schedule messages to send in group chats, a helpful tool for reminders or announcements. Set the time, and WhatsApp will send the message automatically.
How to Use It: In the message box, select “Schedule,†choose the date and time, and confirm.
Why It’s Useful: Especially beneficial for reminders or announcements, making it easy to manage group notifications.
12. Search Messages by Date
This feature allows users to search messages by date, making it easier to locate past conversations or messages.
How to Use It: In the search bar, choose the calendar icon and select the desired date.
Why It’s Useful: Quickly helps you retrieve specific messages from past conversations.
13. High-Resolution Photo and Video Sharing
WhatsApp now allows high-resolution media sharing, ensuring that your photos and videos retain quality when sent to others.
How to Use It: When sharing media, select “HD†to retain the original resolution.
Why It’s Useful: Ideal for sharing important images or videos without losing quality.
14. Custom Chat Wallpapers for Individual Chats
Users can set different wallpapers for each chat, personalizing conversations with unique backgrounds.
How to Use It: Go to the chat settings, select “Wallpaper,†and choose your preferred option.
Why It’s Useful: Adds a touch of personalization to each chat.
15. Message Translation within Chats
WhatsApp now includes an option to translate messages within the chat. Ideal for multilingual conversations, this feature helps bridge language barriers instantly.
How to Use It: Tap and hold a message, select “Translate,†and choose the target language.
Why It’s Useful: Makes communication smoother when chatting with people who speak different languages.
How to Access WhatsApp New Features Added in October 2024
If you want to use all the WhatsApp new features added in October 2024, you’ll need to update your app. Here’s how to ensure you have the latest version:
For Android: Go to the Google Play Store, search for WhatsApp, and click on “Update” if available.
For iOS: Visit the App Store, search for WhatsApp, and tap on “Update” if there’s a new version.
If you’ve updated WhatsApp but don’t see the new features, don’t worry. Features are often rolled out gradually, and it might take a bit of time to reach all users. Once activated, the new features will be available automatically without any further action from you.
Join WhatsApp Beta for Early Access
For those eager to experience future updates before everyone else, joining the WhatsApp Beta Programme is a great option. By joining WhatsApp Beta, you get to test features before they’re officially released.
This way, you can stay ahead of the curve and be among the first to try out new additions. However, remember that beta versions might have minor bugs, but it’s a small trade-off for early access to cutting-edge features.
The Final Thoughts
These WhatsApp new features added in October 2024 are designed to make communication more enjoyable and efficient. WhatsApp offers many options to enhance user experience.
Update your app, explore these features, and consider joining the Beta Programme to stay ahead of updates. WhatsApp’s October 2024 updates truly make communication more interactive and convenient.
