Just a week after launching its official beta tester program, WhatsApp has added a slew of useful features in its latest release. These functions were included somewhere between build 2.12.453, the official Google Play Store version, and 2.12.491, the most recent beta one.
Starting off with the new Links tab, the feature will now be present next to the Media history tab where all the sent and received pictures and videos reside. This dedicated tab for URLs contains all the links which have been shared between you and your friend starting from the most recent and going backwards from there.
As per Android Police, each link in the list is broken in two sections, with a rich preview on top and the message it was part of below. This could prove to be very useful, since clicking on the former instantly lets you view the link in your phone’s browser and selecting the latter carries you to the exchange itself. This allows you to see the context it was posted in and star, copy or delete the missive.
Also Read: WhatsApp to ditch BlackBerry, Nokia by 2016-end
The Link tab may spell the end of endless scrolling to find that one message which had a link. Speaking of, WhatsApp has also improved upon its copying abilities. While you previously had to copy an entire block of text just to get that one URL within the message, the app now permits you to select only the link via long-pressing on it.
Finally, WhatsApp has introduced new options for deleting conversations. You’ll be presented with the choice of clearing all the contents of a chat, deleting messages older than 30 days and getting rid of missives older than 6 months. There’s also a neat checkbox which lets you retain Starred messages.
You can download the latest version of WhatsApp via APKMirror or join the newly-minted Android beta program.