WhatsApp on Friday released a new update for the iPhone, which brings some nifty little visual improvements along with the ability to have Siri read out your latest messages. The new WhatsApp update (v2.17.2) is now available via the App Store.
The latest version of WhatsApp, which is about 89MB in size, highlights four key updates – you can ask Siri to read out your latest messages; visual improvements to the Calls tab, Contact info, and Group info screens; ability to select multiple statuses at once in the My Updates screen which you can forward and delete; and support for Persian language.
Talking about the Siri-related update, WhatsApp already let you to compose and send WhatsApp messages through Siri. The new update know enables Siri to read out your latest messages to you hands free, which will come in handy when you’re driving, for instance.
The functionality only works if you have some unread messages. Say something like “Hey Siri, read my last WhatsApp message” and Siri will read out the new messages to you and will then prompt you to compose a reply. You can then choose to reply to the message by dictating it to Siri. We tried the new feature and it seems to work as promised. You should also note that once Siri has read your latest messages, it won’t be able to read it again the second time. Furthermore, this feature will only work for users who are on the iOS 10.3+.
The WhatsApp update also brings some visual changes to the Calls tab, Contact info, and Group info screens. On opening any one of the screens, you’ll notice that the display images enlarge as you scroll down, and the various options below have colourful icons next to them for some added flavour to what was otherwise a fairly dull interface.
The update also lets you select multiple statuses in the My Update section which you can forward or delete, a redesigned two-step verification interface makes it easier to set up and the camera function now remembers the lens you used last – front or back. As mentioned earlier, WhatsApp has also added support for Persian language with the latest update to its iPhone app.
