WhatsApp gets Snapchat-like camera function and new notifications

July 13, 2021 Luisa Rey

WhatsApp is testing a new feature that is very similar to Snapchat. This makes it easier to send photos and videos that can be viewed once.

Read on after the ad.

WhatsApp gets Snapchat-like photo function

Chat app WhatsApp is getting more and more features coming from other popular apps. After Instagram’s Stories feature, the app now seems to be getting a Snapchat-like camera feature soon, discovered WABetaInfo.

Once the feature is available to everyone, you can take and send a photo or video directly from WhatsApp. It self-destructs once the receiver has opened it and viewed it once.

If you send the photo or video, it immediately disappears from your own phone. When the recipient opens it, the word ‘Opened’ will appear in the chat, letting you know that the content has been viewed.

A big difference with Snapchat is that WhatsApp does not currently send a notification if the recipient quickly takes a screenshot of your photo or video. This makes the function less resistant to abuse.

Also new WhatsApp notifications on the way

In addition to the new photo feature, a future WhatsApp update will also add a new appearance for notifications. The new notifications show more details when you receive a photo, video, gif or sticker.

This makes the chat app seem to be preparing for the arrival of iOS 15, which changes the appearance of notifications. As a result, larger previews of profile photos of people will soon be visible. Both features are now being tested by beta testers, so it probably won’t be long before they become available to everyone.