WhatsApp working on feature that shows ETA when sharing files

Representative Image

Meta-owned WhatsApp is testing a feature that will show users the estimated time of arrival (ETA) when sharing files in chat.

First reported by WABetaInfo, the feature is being tested in the beta versions of the Android and iOS apps and has already been rolled out to the web-based WhatsApp clients.

WhatsApp is introducing ETA when sharing documents!

WhatsApp is releasing a feature that lets us understand when a document is fully downloaded on our devices or uploaded to their servers.https://t.co/lGg8rZPVFR — WABetaInfo (@WABetaInfo) April 9, 2022

For those participating in the test, WhatsApp will now show them the time remaining for the file to be shared. The time is displayed in brackets next to the percentage bar, which shows how much of a file has been uploaded.

Also Read: Facebook-owner Meta says it is considering steps to curb Russian government misinformation

There are reports that suggest that this might point to bigger news. The chat platform allows users to share files with a strict size limit of 16MB but there are reports that WhatsApp is testing an increased limit of 2GB, with select users in Argentina.

Also Read: WhatsApp is testing restrictions on forwarding messages for iOS

If we take that into account, then the feature starts making more sense. For files as large as 2GB, it would be helpful to see ETA for uploads.