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Latest WhatsApp betas prep enhanced wallpapers, read later tag, plus video audio muting

WhatsApp is testing yet more new features in the latest beta build for Android with enhanced wallpapers, video audio muting, and a read later archiving option being among the highlights.

Digging by WABetaInfo (h/t XDA) has unearthed a number of features expected to come to a stable build or user-facing beta in the coming months. None of these potential new options are currently usable but work is clearly ongoing with interfaces giving us a glimpse of just what they will bring to the table when available.

Enhanced wallpapers look as though they will allow you to make changes to the background on a chat-by-chat basis, with the ability to adjust opacity, alongside 29 new dark wallpapers and custom solid colors also available. WhatsApp has lacked real customization options for a long time, so this would be a really neat new addition. You can see just how these advanced wallpapers will appear in WhatsApp below:

Another notable but not necessarily massive feature coming to a future WhatsApp build will be that of audio muting for videos sent within chats. At present, sending a video means that any attached audio will be added automatically. Sometimes you want to just send a silent video to a contact, and this feature will allow for that with a small audio toggle appearing in the trim length editing tools that are already present.

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The final upcoming feature that may or may not prove useful is that of a Read Later archive for specific messages and chats. Simply put, this is a filter for specific chats that won’t appear in your main chat view. It’s not necessarily useful to everyone, but could be a great way to separate work-specific contacts, content, and, therefore, reduce interruptions.

While none of the new features are yet user-facing, we’re sure that the enhanced wallpapers option will likely be one of the most useful for WhatsApp users on a daily basis. However, the ability to archive chats and tag as Read Later will also be a popular inclusion. For now, no information is known on when these options may come to a stable build of the messaging application.

More on WhatsApp:

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Avatar for Damien Wilde Damien Wilde

Damien is a UK-based video producer for 9to5Google. Find him on Twitter: @iamdamienwilde. Email: damien@9to5mac.com