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WhatsApp: new security update and improved Doodle feature

WhatsApp: new security update and improved Doodle feature
Patrick Devaney

Patrick Devaney

  • Updated:

WhatsApp has been on fire with recently with a spate of updates to the WhatsApp beta promising new and updated features for the main app. These have included a Dark Mode, a better way to ignore chats you don’t want to deal with, a much improved audio file organization system, and a new advanced search feature. It seems there is no rest for the wicked at WhatsApp HQ because today we can bring you news of two more updates that have landed on the WhatsApp beta.

WhatsApp is adding a Conversation Screenshot Blocker and improving the Doodle user interface

WhatsApp

In January when we first broke the news that WhatsApp was working on introducing fingerprint authentication as a way to add an extra layer of security to your chats. The added authentication will work on top of the phone’s security to give users a chance to put the WhatsApp inbox behind two separate security protocols.

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There is no news to report on this feature’s development, but it has been spotted in the latest WhatsApp beta for Android, with an interesting note next to it. The settings page for the new security feature includes this snip bit, “When enabled, fingerprint is required and conversation screenshots are blocked…” There is no other context given to the feature, the note goes on to talk about being able to answer calls and reply to messages if WhatsApp is locked, but it seems clear that WhatsApp is working on a way to stop users taking screenshots of chats.

New feature coming to WhatsApp
Image via: WABetaInfo

At this point, this is the only information we have on this new and mysterious feature, but it could mean that soon you might be able to set WhatsApp to block your friends from snapping screenshots of your chats. We’ll have to wait for more information before we can confirm this.

The other key thing in the latest WhatsApp beta for Android is the improved UI for WhatsApp Doodle. Doodle is WhatsApp’s way of allowing you to draw on top of any media you’re sharing and also add stickers and emojis, too.

New Doodle UI for WhatsApp
Image via: WABetaInfo

The update adds separate tabs for Stickers and Emojis and then also groups stickers into Favorites and Categories. This should make it much easier for you to manage the stickers, emojis, and shapes you want to put on top of any images, videos, or GIFs you might be sending to your contacts.

We’ve got the guys at WABetaInfo to thank for sharing all the data from the latest beta version of WhatsApp for Android and, as always, need to point out that as yet there is no official word from WhatsApp about when we can expect these features to make it to the main app. If you’d like to give the WhatsApp beta a try, check out our tutorial below.

Patrick Devaney

Patrick Devaney

Patrick Devaney is a news reporter for Softonic, keeping readers up to date on everything affecting their favorite apps and programs. His beat includes social media apps and sites like Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, Twitter, YouTube, and Snapchat. Patrick also covers antivirus and security issues, web browsers, the full Google suite of apps and programs, and operating systems like Windows, iOS, and Android.

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