WhatsApp nearby sharing feature
- WhatsApp continues to work on its nearby sharing feature as seen in this report by WABetaInfo.
- The latest update shows a more refined view of the feature. Before using this feature, WhatsApp presents a list of permissions required to share files with others.
- You’ll have to give WhatsApp access to your photos, media, and files on your device, connect with other devices, and detect any nearby devices.
- The receiver will also need to open ‘People nearby’ on WhatsApp to receive photos and other files.
- Although this feature requires connecting to nearby devices, you can still decide whether you want your device to be visible to others.
- The screenshot shared by WABetaInfo shows that nearby file-sharing on WhatsApp is end-to-end encrypted and your phone numbers won’t be visible during the process.
- This feature is available in WhatsApp beta for Android 2.24.2.20 update but it isn’t visible to users yet.
- The advantage of this feature is the ability to share files offline through WhatsApp. So even if you don’t have internet connectivity, you’ll still be able to share files on WhatsApp.
- Other than this, sharing large-sized files will be easier through this feature. It isn’t specified though what the maximum size is allowed for nearby file-sharing on WhatsApp.
WhatsApp in-app dialer
WhatsApp is also working on an in-app dialer but it isn’t clear how exactly the feature is supposed to help users. WABetaInfo suggests that the in-app dialer will be helpful as it can act as a quick way to call unknown numbers without having to save them in your contacts list. This feature appeared in WhatsApp beta for Android 2.23.15.11 update but it isn’t available to users.
