After drawing immense criticism with the new “Status” section, WhatsApp is back to its old ways. The company has pushed a new update for its iOS app, roping in UI tweaks, support for Persian language and a breakthrough feature that puts Apple’s voice assistant Siri into some really good use!
Ask Siri To Read Your WhatsApp Messages
The feature we’re speaking of will allow you to go hands-free and ask Siri to read your new, unread messages on the app. This way, if your iPhone or iPad is lying idle on the table and you’re too lazy to pick it, you can call out Siri to get the job done. All you have to do is just say Hey Siri, and ask, “Read my last WhatsApp message”. It will tell you who has messaged you and will read out the entire message. It will also follow up by asking, “Would you like to reply?”, allowing you to respond by dictating your message.
But, that’s not the only change iOS users are getting with the latest version of WhatsApp. The new release allows you to select multiple status updates at once and then take appropriate action on them. This includes either forwarding them or deleting them.
Additionally the UI of the app, specifically the “Calls tab, Contact Info and Group Info screens” are getting minor visual improvements. The old-school Voice Call icon has been replaced with a “+” icon, which when tapped showcases a list of contacts for making both voice and video calls. The two-step verification interface has also been redesigned to simplify the setup process and the camera now remembers its last state of usage.
Among other things, WhatsApp is also getting a number of bug fixes and performance related patches. So, if your chat app isn’t running well enough, go ahead with the update and who knows, you might get rid of some of those issues, if not all of them.
However, it’s important to note that you won’t be seeing the Siri feature in action unless you have iOS 10.3 or above installed on your iPhone. If you’re running an older version of iOS, best guess, it’s time to update or you’re out of luck.
If you’ve automatic updates enabled, the new version of WhatsApp should be installed on your device. In case it’s not, you can go directly to the download page.