{"id":740249,"date":"2024-01-04T08:34:02","date_gmt":"2024-01-04T06:34:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=740249"},"modified":"2024-01-04T08:34:02","modified_gmt":"2024-01-04T06:34:02","slug":"4-major-changes-coming-to-whatsapp-from-verified-badges-to-usernames","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/technology\/740249\/4-major-changes-coming-to-whatsapp-from-verified-badges-to-usernames\/","title":{"rendered":"4 major changes coming to WhatsApp &#8211; from verified badges to usernames"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>WhatsApp is one of the biggest messaging services in the world and is constantly updating itself to improve services. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Before releasing updates to everyday users, WhatsApp first tests new ideas with beta testers to iron out any technical issues that may impact the app&#8217;s performance and user experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As WhatsApp runs on several platforms, data service <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/wabetainfo.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">WABetaInfo<\/a> has broken down all the latest Android, iOS and Web developments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Below are several changes that the data service highlighted recently: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Username <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>WhatsApp has been testing a feature to allow users to create a username since mid-2023, with WABetaInfo noting that this feature is being tested with web clients. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;We believe that this development marks a significant step towards enhancing privacy and ease of communication within the WhatsApp ecosystem,&#8221; WABetaInfo said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once users have chosen their unique username on the web client, they will have the flexibility to connect with others without the necessity of sharing phone numbers.&#8221; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Verified badges <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>WhatsApp is also rolling out a new update via the Google Play Beta Program, with the optional feature for businesses to add a verified badge to their channels, which will be available in a future update. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;In our opinion, the decision to allow businesses to add a verified badge to their channels through the Meta Verified subscription represents a strategically significant move designed at amplifying business visibility,&#8221; WABetaInfo said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Businesses will gain increased prominence through the verification checkmark, indicating authenticity, and it seems they will also be added to the channel directory.&#8221; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-businesstech wp-block-embed-businesstech\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"X7gasplWVC\"><a href=\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/media\/734277\/follow-businesstech-on-whatsapp-for-the-latest-news\/\">Follow BusinessTech on WhatsApp for the latest news<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" title=\"&#8220;Follow BusinessTech on WhatsApp for the latest news&#8221; &#8212; BusinessTech\" src=\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/media\/734277\/follow-businesstech-on-whatsapp-for-the-latest-news\/embed\/#?secret=12Ncz1vrq2#?secret=X7gasplWVC\" data-secret=\"X7gasplWVC\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>New interface for Web clients <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The data service also noted that a new background colour for the web client&#8217;s dark theme with an altered sidebar, <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The aim of the update is to decrease eye strain in low-light environments and improve aesthetics. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This new interface is still in development and not available to general users. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Sharing updates from the Web <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A beta on WhatsApp Web is also allowing users to share status updates on WhatsApp Web, allowing web users to share photos, videos and texts directly to their status. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Previously constrained by multi-device limitations, this feature caters to users who spend a significant amount of time working or browsing the Internet on their computers,&#8221; WABetaInfo said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;By enabling status updates through WhatsApp Web, users can now effortlessly share moments without having to switch back and forth between their mobile device and computer.&#8221; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Read<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/technology\/737851\/what-not-to-do-on-your-work-computer-in-south-africa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">What not to do on your work computer in South Africa<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Several changes are in the works for the Meta-owned messaging service. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":95,"featured_media":647157,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9878],"tags":[26,17555],"class_list":["post-740249","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology","tag-headline","tag-wabetainfo"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/740249","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/95"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=740249"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/740249\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":740267,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/740249\/revisions\/740267"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/647157"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=740249"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=740249"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=740249"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}