Warning for every WhatsApp user – the app is forever changing in five big ways

WHATSAPP is working on five major updates to the app – including a brilliant change to group chats.

Details of the updates have been revealed online and will eventually affect all WhatsApp users.

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WhatsApp usually tests its new features in the beta version of the app.

This is a test app that you can sign up for and allows users to test changes before they go live worldwide.

The cyber sleuths at WABetaInfo regularly check this app for updates and have uncovered five major changes being made to your phone.

Unfortunately, it’s impossible to say when all these features will be rolled out in the general version of WhatsApp.

Some could last days or weeks, while others may be months away.

WhatsApp updates revealed

Here are five of the new features being developed for WhatsApp…

• A redesigned Disappearing Messages section that is easier to use
• The ability to quickly open chats with your own phone number so you can talk to yourself
• A companion mode that allows you to add an additional phone number to your existing WhatsApp account
• Automatically mute when you join extremely large WhatsApp groups
• New support for system-wide Do Not Disturb, which shows the calls you missed while on mute

These changes should make your life much easier, although there is no exact release date for any of them.

The group chat feature is particularly helpful: it jumps in if you’re trying to join a group with more than 256 participants.

It is currently impossible to have a group larger than 512 members on the live version of WhatsApp.

But WhatsApp is also testing a separate change that expands the maximum group size to 1,024 people.

Whatsapp Group size was originally limited to 100 people before changing to 256 people in 2016.

Then, earlier this year, WhatsApp upped that to a frankly whopping 512 people.

If you want to try all the latest WhatsApp features first, follow our guide below.

How to get WhatsApp beta

To download WhatsApp Beta for your smartphone you have to go Google Play on yours Android and search for whatsapp.

Scroll down the page until you see “Become a Beta Tester”.

Tap the “I’m in” button, then tap “Join” to confirm.

Now all you have to do is wait for the update to the beta version of the app.

Join the WhatsApp beta iOS to the iPhone is more difficult and has a limited capacity.

Follow Apple’s instructions here.

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