Technology
WhatsApp iPad App Could Launch Soon; Android, iOS Version Could Get Disappearing Media Feature
Photo Credit: WABetaInfo
WhatsApp for iPad has a split view
WhatsApp iPad app is coming soon, a new report suggests. As of now, there is no WhatsApp app designed for iPad and users can only use WhatsApp Web on the device to send and receive messages through the browser. As per a new report, the WhatsApp for iPad app will have the same functionality as the mobile app, but with an iPad-compatible UI. Additionally, the Facebook-owned messaging company is reportedly working on some new features including disappearing photos for both iOS and Android. The app already has a feature for disappearing messages, but disappearing photos will extend its use, and is popular on other platforms including Facebook-owned Instagram.
Searching for WhatsApp in the App Store on an iPad would show the app is not compatible with the device. So if you want to use WhatsApp on an iPad, you would have to use WhatsApp Web. But, a report by WhatsApp feature tracker WABetaInfo says that the company is working on a dedicated iPad app, and that it was able to try out the app as well. The report mentions WhatsApp for iPad has all the features of the regular mobile app and comes with a split interface with contacts on the left side and chats on the right. It supports both portrait and landscape mode.
WhatsApp app on iPad is also said to support voice calls and Touch ID. For calls, the information for a contact is shown on the right unlike the mobile app where you have to tap on the contact to get call information.
WABetaInfo also shared through a tweet that WhatsApp is working on a self-destructing photos feature for iOS and Android. This feature will reportedly be added in a future update. The screenshots in the tweet show a new option next to ‘Add a caption’ text box — that appears before you send an attached media file — on the WhatsApp app, clicking on which will make the media disappear once you leave that particular chat. WABetaInfo points out users could be able to take screenshots of the self-destructing photos as a feature to detect them has not been added. WhatsApp’s parent company Facebook isn’t new to this concept as it already allows users to send a disappearing photo or video on Instagram.
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