Dark mode to ads: How WhatsApp will change in 2020
2019 was hard on WhatsApp. Although the service continued its domination as the biggest messaging app, but it battled critical security flaws, including an issue that let hackers inject spyware into the platform, surveil thousands of journalists, activists. Now, with a new year and decade on the horizon, let's look at how WhatsApp will change to enhance the experience/security of its users in 2020.
Dark Mode is on the way
A dark mode is inching closer to launch on WhatsApp. It is not available at present, but a recent teardown of the platform's Android app revealed that you can enable it by manually switching a flag. From what reports indicate, the feature will officially debut in the first few months of 2020, letting users manually/automatically use a dark theme on the messaging service.
Self-destructing messages
Along with the dark mode, the ability to self-destruct messages has also been seen in WhatsApp's recent beta releases. The feature, originally dubbed 'disappearing messages', should go official in the coming months, giving users the power to configure their private and group conversations to be deleted automatically after a set period like an hour, a day, a week, a month or a year.
In-app browsing for users
WhatsApp is also expected to enable in-app browsing in the near future. The feature, currently in beta, will open shared links within the app and save users from the trouble of being redirected to a third-party browser like Chrome or Opera. Notably, as the feature would use an Android API, it will also prevent Facebook and WhatsApp from knowing what websites you've been opening.
And, you will also start seeing ads!
Back in May, Facebook confirmed that it would start showing adverts in the Status section of WhatsApp in 2020. The ads would appear among other ephemeral posts in the status section of the service, but instead of a contact's name on top, they would mention the name of the business. Now, this is something that could disrupt your WhatsApp experience.
WhatsApp payments service is also on the way
Another change that is almost confirmed for WhatsApp is UPI-based payments service. The feature is being tested with select users and should see a wider roll-out across India in the coming months. It would make sending money just as easy as sending a message for over 400 million WhatsApp users in the country and take the Facebook-owned company straight against payment giants like Paytm.
