A new update of WhatsApp Beta for Android has been available for download a few hours ago, which reaches version 2.22.11.16 and hides a novelty related to the functionality of the ephemeral message.
In fact, it seems that the WhatsApp development team is working on a new introductory screen for the aforementioned mode.
WhatsApp Beta 2.22.11.16: here is the news
After the new interface for textual status updates, the release of which to beta testers began following the arrival of WhatsApp Beta version 2.22.11.13, the WhatsApp development team is simultaneously continuing to work to improve and complete the functionality. ephemeral messages.
With the new version 2.22.11.16 of the app, we record a further step forward for the functionality, which is added to the one shown with the beta version 2.22.11.11 a few days ago, which hid the possibility of activating the extra ephemeral messages existing chats at once.
Thanks to the specialized portal WaBetaInfo, we discover that WhatsApp will soon introduce a new introductory screen for ephemeral messages but that, at the moment, everything is still under full development.
As you can see from the image, the screen is indicative but very distant from the one that will actually be distributed, first to beta testers and then globally. Although the icons and text layout may be almost definitive, the Latin phrase ” Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisci elit “, a great classic, is a clear indicator that the development team is simply testing for a feature. not ready yet.
Although it may be risky to draw conclusions on the indications that this screen can actually provide us, having followed the development step by step of the functionality of the ephemeral message, we can try to give a minimum of interpretation.
The certainty that the screen concerns ephemeral messages is dictated by the functionality logo, shown at the top; the “new” indicates a novelty, therefore a feature not yet released even to beta testers; this could (conditionally obligatory) be the hidden functionality in version 2.22.7.4 of WhatsApp Beta (released to developers last March), or the possibility of keeping messages in chats and groups even after the deadline despite the fact that they are activated ephemeral messages.
Of the three icons in the lower part, the first two are the classic icons that in WhatsApp indicate groups and the sending of a message; the third icon, that of the bookmark, could be a further indicator of the possibility of keeping messages in single and group chats even after the time limit.
Since the feature is in development, this will not even be available to those running the latest available version of WhatsApp Beta but will be implemented by the WhatsApp team via a future app update.
How to download the latest beta version of the app
Although the news is not available even to beta testers, it is still possible to download the latest version of WhatsApp Beta for smartphones based on the Google Android operating system, by subscribing to the Beta Program of the app (you can find the page dedicated to the program following this link) through the Google Play Store.
If the Beta Program is temporarily full, it would still be possible to test the latest versions of WhatsApp Beta in preview, proceeding with the manual installation of the related APK files, which can be downloaded from the APK Mirror portal (whose dedicated page can be reached by following this link).