WhatsApp has a couple of interesting new features currently in testing in its Android beta version. One is its previously-spotted Stickers, the second is a Mark as Read option, and the third is a Mute button.
Sticker packs have been around for months in the WhatsApp for Android beta at this point, with no sign of release. This period of waiting might be over soon, as version 2.18.218 features a Sticker preview, an update button, and a green dot at the corner of the ‘+’ button to indicate a newly upgraded sticker pack.
WhatsApp Stickers Release
WABetaInfo notes that Stickers will be available in the future and there’s no concrete release date available for them right now. As some may remember, the app’s parent company Facebook actually confirmed that stickers were being worked on at its F8 conference back in May, but didn’t say anything about their arrival other than to say that they were coming soon.
Going by the WABetaInfo’s tweet, Unchi & Rollie and Bibimbap Friends are probably going to be among the initial set of stickers. Several more have been spotted over the past few months. The cartoons look a lot like the ones found in Facebook Messenger, so perhaps there’ll be some cross-platform integration between the two.
As for the new Mute button, it should be viewable by anyone on the latest WhatsApp for Android beta. It reportedly kicks into action within the Notification tray when a person receives 51 messages or more. They’ll see the list of texts and a Mute option at the bottom.
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The Mute button has actually been around for ages, but it’s never appeared in the Notification Center before. Users have so far had to open up the app to mute someone. The same is true of the new Mark as Read option. It pops up in the Notification Center and allows people to mark a conversation as read.
You can download the latest WhatsApp for Android beta via APKMirror.