WhatsApp new features: Update for iOS brings animation for voice messages, disables receipts

The new update for WhatsApp Messenger on iOS is bringing new features like a new animation for voice messages and disables receipts for them, depending on the read receipt setting. The WhatsApp version 2.21.40 update is live on the App Store, though the changelog does not detail what’s new.

The update only introduces minor tweaks to the previous version of WhatsApp (2.21.30), which arrived last month. A report by WABetaInfo (Obtained through Gadgets360) reveals that WhatsApp version 2.21.40 only brings a couple of minor tweaks to the messaging service.

The latest update brings a new progress bar animation for voice messages. Once the progress bar of a voice message reaches the end, it jumps back to the start. According to the report, the animation is only available on iOS 13 and beyond. The update also introduces some tweaks to the read receipt system for voice messages.

The read receipts feature can be disabled by going to WhatsApp Settings > Account > Privacy. If read receipts has been disabled on iOS, the sender of a voice message will be notified when the user listens to it. The report also points out that the feature is not made available for Android just yet.

WhatsApp added the disappearing messages feature to iOS and Android back in November 2020, allowing users to automatically erase a message after seven days.