Are you tired of companies stuffing AI into their products wherever possible? Well, would you mind suspending that weariness until the end of this article, please? We only ask because WhatsApp is doing exactly that: stuffing more AI into its messenger.
That’s according to WABetaInfo, who reckons the beta for Android 2.24.7.13 update will come stocked with a new AI-powered image editor, allowing users to zhuzh up their images before sending them on their way. That’s quite a large addition — unless you’re already wielding something from Samsung’s 2024 AI-touting catalogue.
And in less interesting news, WABetaInfo also made note of another feature that would allow users to disable link previews before sending them. See why we saved that bit ’til now?
AI this, AI that
Neither reported feature has completed development yet, meaning even WhatsApp’s crop of beta testers are still waiting for their turn before it eventually hits the ‘rolling out’ stage when regular folks get a chance to play. Despite that, WABetaInfo has given us a decent idea of how each feature will work when they do eventually land, which will hopefully be over the coming months.
Backdrop, Restyle, and Expand will be new options for you to fiddle with in the app’s image editor when you’re sending an image or posting to your story. You’ll need to click the new ‘Sparkle’ button (pictured above) before you can get at them.
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what each of those three new buttons will do… but we’ll explain anyway. Backdrop lets one trade in an image’s original background for something new — determined by the user’s skill at the keyboard. Restyle focuses most on adding new effects, while Expand does its best to add substance to a picture where it may not have been originally.
Read More: WhatsApp’s latest update will have you pinning up to three messages per chat
The second incoming feature involves the ability to disable link previews in a message before sending them. It can’t exactly hold a candle to AI image editing, but we’re sure it’ll prove its worth eventually. The feature is exactly what it sounds like. Go to settings, disable link previews, and you’ll be able to rickroll your friends without WhatsApp getting in the way. Or you could use this one to really throw them off the scent.