New Features For WhatsApp

Many new features for Whatsapp were rolled out in February 2025, which we had long awaited. Let us look at the latest advancements in our favourite messaging app and whether the Whatsapp updates are worth the deal or if we can offer them a miss.

 Chat themes: 

You can apply the default pre-set or individual colour theme to chat bubbles and backgrounds. This is visible only to you. So, pick from 20 colour options and 30 new wallpapers and paint your WhatsApp world how you want! 

While this is a quirky new feature, it might be too little to excite users. Luckily for us, there are more features to dig into. 

 Clear chat notifications:  

On iPhone, the WhatsApp icon displays an unread count badge on the home screen, which can be quite bothersome. A new feature is now available that removes the unread badge from the icon whenever you open the app. To access it, navigate to Settings >> Notifications >> and enable the Clear badge toggle. This feature is also under development for Android version.

This feature falls in line with the trend of tech companies trying to make tech less addictive and anxiety-inducing. A welcome change indeed. 

 Unread chat counter in filters:  

On iPhones, you can now see the count of unread messages in specific filters. Consequently, unread group chats will show up in the groups tab. This feature should also be arriving on Android soon. 

This is a helpful addition for users who rely on filters to organise their messages, but it is not exactly groundbreaking.

 Playback speed: 

You can now adjust the playback speed of videos from 1x to 1.5x and 2x. The button is located next to the video seek bar at the bottom right on Android and at the top right side on iPhone.

This will be a great feature for those who want to see videos at their own convenience with better efficiency.

 Meta AI widget: 

A completely new Meta AI widget is now available for the home screen on Android, allowing users to jump directly into the Meta AI chat window. 

This feature could be a hit or miss, depending on how much users regularly interact with Meta AI. 

Source: Whatsapp

 Selfie stickers: 

Transform your selfie into a sticker by tapping on the create sticker option. You will then see the camera feature to take a selfie and create your sticker.

While this feature is found on other messaging apps this is a great way to personalize your chats on whatsapp. 

 Camera effects: 

Choose from 30 filters, backgrounds, and visual effects to enhance photos and videos before sending. 

Adding filters and visual effects directly within WhatsApp is a welcome upgrade, especially for users who frequently share images and videos. While it won’t replace dedicated editing apps, it does make quick edits more convenient.

 Quicker reactions: 

Ready to take your emoji game to the next level? You can now double-tap a message to react and swiftly scroll through your most frequently used reactions.

This neat feature ensures WhatsApp replicates the same user experience across Meta apps, including Facebook and Instagram. 

 Voice message transcripts: 

Find reading more convenient? Voice messages can now be converted to text to help you keep up with the latest conversations.

This is a long overdue feature that will be a gamechanger especially for users in areas where they cannot play audio messages out loud. 

 Connect to Meta Accounts Centre: 

Keep updated across diverse platforms! You can now connect your WhatsApp accounts to Facebook and Instagram profiles and share your status updates.

These are some fun WhatsApp updates you would want to play around with! Nevertheless, they represent the latest in WhatsApp's continuous efforts to improve user experience and offer users more control over the app's interface. WhatsApp has definitely levelled up. Whether you will embrace the game or not totally depends on you!