Read receipts (checkmarks) receive OTA update

Nov 6, 2014 07:33 GMT  ·  By

Facebook-owned WhatsApp is getting some nifty features in the form of an over-the-air update that gets applied automatically. Users are beginning to notice a change in the checkmarks associated with sent / received messages, and there will be a Internet-calling feature implemented soon, according to a leak.

The developers are yet to scale the GUI to properly fit the display of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus (especially), but it seems that the #1 priority is to move forward with the VoIP calling feature promised a while back.

Blue checkmarks means message has been read

WhatsApp now displays not two, but three types of checkmarks when a person sends someone a message. As before, one checkmark means the message has been sent successfully, but is still in the cloud waiting to make its way onto the other phone where it can be read.

Two checkmarks means the message has been successfully delivered to the recipient’s phone. Finally, two “blue” checkmarks means that the message has been successfully delivered and read by the recipient.

VoIP calls incoming, carriers watch out!

The change is rolling out as we speak, and we’ve already seen it in action. But that’s not the only thing that WhatsApp engineers are working on. An even bigger update will come in the form of an updated GUI - so far demoed only in Android screenshots - where users will be greeted by a set of call-centric icons, for what is most likely the VoIP calling feature promised a few weeks ago.

For who's asking, VoIP stands for voice-over-IP. It's a protocol focused on allowing users to make voice and even video calls over regular Internet, bypassing your greedy carrier's waves. Apps like Viber are already using it, and even Apple’s own FaceTime is based on similar technology. The feature has immense potential if implemented correctly, and it's already chipping away at the market share of wireless operators worldwide.

New sounds, still no iPhone 6 Plus support

According to the people at droidapp.nl, who leaked some of this info, WhatsApp is also getting some new sounds for notifications and calls.

Unfortunately, WhatsApp developers don’t seem to be focused on improving the visual experience on the latest Apple handsets, something we’ve discussed in the past.

There’s no word on when all of this will be made available or how, but it’s reasonable to assume that users will get a heads up in the following days.

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