You would soon be able to share photos and videos on WhatsApp faster
A new feature aims to cut down on the steps needed to share media on the app.
WhatsApp is testing a handy update to make sharing photos and videos even quicker.
In its latest beta (version 2.24.23.11), a new feature pops up right in the chat bar—a shortcut that takes you directly to your gallery app with one tap.
Spotted by WABetaInfo, this shortcut aims to cut down on the steps needed to share media, making the process smoother and faster.
As it stands, sharing something from your gallery on WhatsApp involves either tapping the camera icon or the attachment button, both of which bring up a full menu with a list of options: Gallery, Camera, Location, Contact, Document, Audio, Poll, and WhatsApp’s AI-powered Imagine feature.
This new gallery shortcut skips the menu, letting you head straight to your photos, which could be a welcome time-saver.
But there’s a trade-off: the new gallery icon takes the spot previously held by the camera shortcut in the chat bar. This change means you’ll have to tap the paperclip icon and select Camera from the list if you want to snap a photo directly.
For users who rely on quick access to the camera, it might feel like a small step backwards. On the other hand, if you mostly share saved photos, this shortcut will likely feel like an upgrade.
For now, the gallery shortcut is available to a limited number of Android beta testers. WhatsApp is keeping an eye on user feedback to decide if this will become a permanent feature. Depending on how users respond, we may soon see the gallery shortcut rolled out to everyone—or it might stay exclusive to beta testers if it doesn’t prove popular.
Meanwhile, WhatsApp is also testing a new feature that will let users to perform a quick image search on the web, making it easier to verify the authenticity of photos shared within chats.
This new reverse image search feature which can be accessed through the “Search on web” option is also currently available only to WhatsApp beta testers on Android and could be a valuable tool for identifying manipulated or misleading images shared across the platform.
Separately, WhatsApp is also working on a feature that will soon let users be able to store their contacts on WhatsApp.
Kelechi Edeh
