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Whatsapp is reinventing itself: a major redesign and new functions for the messenger are in the works
Some may soon not recognize their favorite app: Whatsapp is working on a comprehensive redesign.
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Whatsapp is by far the most popular messenger in Germany. Several major innovations are announced in current test versions – parent company Meta is apparently working on an extensive redesign, among other things.
You have to look for many changes to the Germans’ most popular messenger with a magnifying glass. Because it often leads Whatsapp innovations are introduced subtly and you only find them when they are live. But now there is apparently an unmistakable change coming: As the usually well-informed portal “WABetaInfo” reports, Meta is currently working on a major redesign of the app in test versions.
WhatsApp is saying goodbye to all the greenery
The blog reports that the first concrete changes are becoming visible in the current beta version for Android. The conspicuous green of the navigation bar disappears, and there are also major adjustments to the dark look.
Some icons will also change, probably to make WhatsApp appear more modern overall. Important: Essentially, this doesn’t change anything about the app, because the redesign of the individual elements is solely for visual reasons.
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However, it may be unusual at first if the characteristic green color is suddenly missing. “WABetaInfo” was also able to determine the current changes to the Android version in test versions for the iPhone system iOS.
In terms of functionality, innovations are apparently also planned, for example there should be an easy way to filter the chat overview by different categories, for example by groups or generally unread messages. Meta wants to provide a better overview if you use a lot of chats and just want to get a quick overview.
Chatting with celebrities – at least almost
The amount of ongoing conversations could also grow in the future because Meta is apparently planning to place chats with AI in the app. A kind of ChatGPT for Whatsapp would be conceivable; in Meta it is called “Llama 2”.
Company boss Mark Zuckerberg has already revealed the first possible functions. In the future, for example, it should only be a matter of a few words, and a chatbot creates customized images and texts via WhatsApp. There should also be bots for “cultural icons and influencers” such as Paris Hilton, MrBeast, Snoop Dogg and Tom Brady. Users could then chat with them as if they were real people – but a machine answers.
It remains to be seen how WhatsApp will integrate these possibly profit-oriented bots. Recently, the messenger fell out of favor with many people with the new “channels”, which many people perceive as hidden advertising that was actually supposed to be left at the door of Whatsapp due to a fundamental decision by the former founders.
WhatsApp is coming to the iPad
In order to be able to offer Whatsapp on even more platforms in the future, a test version for Apple devices also contains a real surprise that some users have been waiting for for years: Whatsapp for the iPad.
With a bit of luck, what is already possible in the beta version shouldn’t take forever for the masses: the messenger should use the usual mechanism of scanning a QR code on the new device with the open mobile phone app will soon run on tablets with its own app. The alternatives, some of which are heavily loaded with advertising and have been in the app stores for years, would then be taken out of service.
Sources: WABetaInfo, Techcrunch, WABetaInfo [2]