WhatsApp has announced a laundry list of new features aimed at enhancing the user experience across chats, calls, and channels, with some of the features available now or currently rolling out. Among the most notable additions is a new "Online" indicator for group chats, which shows how many people are currently active in a conversation without revealing specific names. The feature makes it easier to see whether members are available or if you're messaging into a quiet group. For users overwhelmed by group notifications, WhatsApp has introduced customizable alert settings. The new "Notify for" option allows users to choose between receiving all notifications or only "Highlights" – which includes @mentions, replies, and messages from saved contacts. The encrypted chat platform…

WhatsApp is testing a new option that lets you control whether other chat members can export your chats with them or automatically save media you send them, according to WaBetaInfo. Referred to as "advanced chat privacy," the new option has a toggle in a recent WhatsApp beta for iOS. By turning it on, you can prevent individual users or people in a group chat from exporting the entire chat history outside of WhatsApp. Enabling the option in a group chat causes everyone in the chat to be notified that advanced chat privacy has been enabled. WaBetaInfo says that turning on the toggle also turns off Meta AI, which lets users interact with a chat bot as part of the wider…

WhatsApp's latest beta release for iOS lets you replace your iPhone's default Phone and Messages apps with it. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

WhatsApp can now be selected as the default calling and messaging app on iPhone, if users so wish (via WABetaInfo). A change in the latest version of WhatsApp available on the App Store (v25.8.74) causes the Meta-owned encrypted chat platform to now show up in the Messaging and Calling options list in iOS Settings ➝ Apps ➝ Default Apps. Apple introduced a way for users to select their preferred default apps for iPhone in iOS 18.2. Apple initially said that the feature would be coming to the European Union, but it turned out to be available worldwide. If you select WhatsApp for Messaging and/or Calling, your iPhone will automatically open the app when called upon instead of Apple's built-in options,…

WhatsApp is retesting a recently nixed setting that lets users choose whether the app automatically clears the unread message count badge on its Home Screen icon after every launch. WABetaInfo reports that the feature is controlled by a new toggle in WhatsApp's iOS notification settings, called "Clear Badge." The setting carries the description: "Your home screen badge clears completely after every time you open the app." The option, which is already available in WhatsApp for Android, should serve to reduce clutter on the user's Home Screen, and potentially lessen "unread anxiety." WABetaInfo notes that the feature may have already appeared for some users in the past few weeks, including those on the stable release from the App Store. However, for…

WhatsApp has announced the introduction of chat themes, giving users the freedom to personalize their conversations using custom colors for both chat bubbles and backgrounds. The encrypted messaging platform is also adding 30 new wallpaper options to help users further customize their chat experience. The new customization options let you either choose from preset themes that modify both chat bubbles and backgrounds simultaneously, or mix and match colors to create your own unique combinations. You can apply a unified theme across all your conversations and channels, but the new options mean you also have the flexibility to customize individual chats with different themes. WhatsApp notes that these customizations are visible only to the user who sets them, so personal preferences…