WhatsApp for Android recently received a new mute feature on the beta channel, which allows users to mute any chat right from the notifications shade. However, the mute feature has been designed in a way that it only shows up when you receive at least 51 messages from a single chat. Before receiving the requisite number of messages, the app shows a 'Mark as Read' button instead, which you can tap to dismiss the notification. While the new Mute feature can come in handy when you're trying to ignore messages temporarily, it isn't as effective as the upcoming Mute Always feature that is currently in the works.
According to a recent report from WABetaInfo, WhatsApp is working on a new Mute Always setting for chats that will allow users to indefinitely mute any chat or group chat. The feature appears within the Mute notifications option within any given chat and replaces the 1-year option currently available in the settings.
The upcoming feature was spotted in WhatsApp beta for Android version 2.20.197.3, and it's currently under development. The feature is expected to make it to the beta channel in a future update.
Along with the Mute Always feature, WABetaInfo has uncovered some more information about the upcoming 'expiring messages' and 'multi-device access' features in the latest WhatsApp beta releases. We first learned about these features earlier this year in March, and WhatsApp recently started testing these features in a beta release.
With WhatsApp for Android beta version 2.20.197.4, the messenger has made some improvements to the UI for the expiring messages feature. Instead of giving users the option to choose how long new messages stay in the chat before disappearing, the updated UI reveals that all expiring messages will be automatically removed from a chat after seven days.
The multi-device access feature, on the other hand, has received a new UI to help users manage all connected devices. The updated UI has been spotted in beta version 2.20.196.8 of the app, and it brings a new 'Linked Devices' option to the three-dot menu. Tapping on the option opens up a new section on the app which lists down all the linked devices and gives users the option to link a new device or log out of a linked device with a single tap.
Furthermore, WABetaInfo reveals that WhatsApp is planning to release a new privacy policy for Brazilian users, and users in the region will receive an in-app banner notification once the policy starts rolling out.
WABetaInfo also highlights a few details about the upcoming 'Advanced Search Mode' feature, which has also received some UI improvements. The feature was first spotted earlier this year in April, and it will let users select tags like Audio, Video, Documents, Links, GIFs, etc. while looking for an item sent or received in a chat.
It's worth noting that all the features mentioned above are currently under development, and they're not available to end-users in the respective beta releases of the app.