WhatsApp Beta features

The popular WhatsApp messaging service is no stranger to user interface adjustments.

While the About section has previously allowed for more than one line of text, everything past the first line would get cut off when viewing contacts in list form. The update will now provide an extra line of text for increased visibility.

The latest update is now available for those enrolled in the WhatsApp beta program. The build is version 2.23.8.25, and can be installed through the Google Play Store.

The Meta-owned company has provided a number of other updates so far this year, including voice status updates and status emoji reactions.

The extra line of text will first appear to a smaller group of beta testers before rolling out to everyone in the program, according to WABetaInfo.

Source: Android Police via WABetaInfo

Originally, WhatsApp allowed users to back up chat history to Google Drive, but recent leaks have suggested that an option to export chat backups is coming soon to the messaging service.

Now, according to WABetaInfo, WhatsApp has already started testing the feature in the latest beta release v2.22.13.11, and an ‘import’ option is now available, which works in tandem with the leaked ‘export’ option.

If you log into WhatsApp from a new device running WhatsApp v2.22.13.11, you will get the option to “import” a local chat backup, instead of having to import the backup from Google Drive.

WhatsApp’s local import feature | Image credit: WaBetaInfo

This makes sense in instances where you’ve lost access to your Google Drive, or are trying to switch phones and transfer backup over a slow internet connection. According to WaBetaInfo, the feature is still in development, and the import tool doesn’t do anything at the moment, not even in the beta app. There is no tentative release date for the new feature.

Source: WABetaInfo