13 great features that should be on WhatsApp

Gadgets Now has listed 15 ‘critical’ features that ought to be on WhatsApp. These are features that will improve user experience and privacy by far. As of now, users still have concerns and expect the developers to make the Facebook-owned messenger more desirable.  Here are some:

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1. Ability to hide profile picture from specific contacts

WhatsApp should provide users the option to hide profile picture from specific contacts. For example, this will help users to hide profile photos from official or business contacts when needed.

2. The ability to schedule messages on WhatsApp

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a message scheduled in WhatsApp? This will come especially handy for sending birthday greetings, official meetings invites, reminders and more.

3. Unknown contacts should need permission to send messages on WhatsApp

This feature will prevent users from sending messages directly to unknown contacts. When this feature is turned on, a user can only send a chat request to an unknown contact before sending the first message. If the chat request is accepted, only then can the user send the message to the unknown contact.

4. Leave WhatsApp group without notifying other members

If you quit a WhatsApp group everyone gets to know through a notification. It is awkward in the situation whereby you quit a group where you are usually aninactive member. There should be an option to turn this off.

5. The option to mute a particular person in a WhatsApp Group

Instead of muting the entire group for a couple of users, there should be the option to mute specific contacts and not get notifications when they send some message in the group.

6. The ability to pin messages inside a group

Sometimes reallyvital messages in a group get lost. An option to pin chats in a group would be great.

7. Get text-only messages from certain contacts

There should be the ability to permit certain users to send only text messages and not images or other multimedia files. This will prevent users from sending multimedia junk.

8. Auto reply for busy or vacation mode

Just like in emails, there should be the option to opt for an automated reply in case the user is on vacation or is busy.

9. Additional biometric security to open particular chats

While WhatsApp has finally rolled out support for biometric lock in iOS, it is expected that the feature would be rolled on Android too. Wouldn’t it be great if this feature can be used to secure select chats as well?

10. Screenshot notifications and ability to disable someone from taking screenshots

Like Snapchat, WhatsApp too should notify users if a screenshot has been taken while chatting. Also, either party should have the control to allow the other person to take screenshots or not.

11. Ability to disable third-party screen recording apps during WhatsApp video calls

There are security and privacy issues with recording video calls without consent. With this feature, someone would not be able to record video calls using third party screen recording apps without the consent of the other party.

12.. Self-destructing messages on WhatsApp

It would be great if WhatsApp comes up with a feature that would delete chats on its own after a certain time period when this feature is turned on. The feature will be also useful when people lose their devices totheft. They would be able to alert WhatsApp of the situation and thus initiate the command.

13. Custom themes for WhatsApp chat

After custom interfaces on Android phones, wouldn’t it be great to have the option of personalised WhatsApp themes as well. One should be able to set different wallpapers for different contacts.