In this week’s Whats App update, we’re looking at a feature that’s been long overdue for some people: Users will soon be able to host a group video call.
Of course, the group chat is where it all kicks off – the fire memes, the juicy gossip and the weekend plans have become staples of WhatsApp’s most popular feature.
In-group video calls look set to enhance the conversational experience even further. The messaging service already rolled the feature out on selected Android platforms. Happy with what they’ve seen, a complete rollout can be expected over winter.
The new features are:
- Group description – A short blurb found under group info that allows you to set the purpose, guidelines, or topics for the group.
- Admin controls – In group settings, there’s now a control that allows admins to restrict who can change the group’s subject, icon, and description.
- Group catch up – When you’ve been away from a group chat, quickly catch up on messages that mention or reply to you by tapping on a new @ button.
- Participant search – Find anyone in a group by searching for participants on the group info page.
- Admin permissions – Admins can now remove admin permissions of other group participants, and group creators can no longer be removed from the group they started.