WhatsApp Reportedly Removed the Private Reply Feature for Windows Phone Days After Rolling It

Reported by Chakri K December 17th, 2017 at 03:39 pm

Popular messaging platform WhatsApp on Thursday rolled out an exclusive new feature to its Windows Phone beta version of the app. Version 2.17.342.0 of the app included a Reply in Private option for group chat members. This meant users who are taking part in Group Chat could reply to a public message with a one on one chat.

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A chat window to the recipient automatically opened, and it quoted the message from the group that the sender was replying to. The feature is already available for the Windows 10 web version of the WhatsApp.

Now, the Reply in Private feature for group users has in fact been removed reports PhoneArena. WhatsApp rolled out another update on Friday with version 2.17.344, which removes the option to send the private messages to someone participating in a group chat. Though no reason was cited for removing the feature, it seems WhatsApp may just have tested the water for feature introduction. However, other features of the WhatsApp update remain intact.

Thursday’s update for WhatsApp brought in new features such as a new design for calls, a way to quickly switch from a voice call to a video call, and the addition of Advanced Group Settings.

Here are the changes to WhatsApp for Windows Phone Beta:

New Design for calls: WhatsApp has included a new UI design for video and voice calls. The company has been working on a new design for some time now and has released it for Windows Phone users.

Video Call Switch: The UI also includes a Quick Switch option that allows users to easily change a voice call into video without interruption. While taking a voice call, users can tap the video icon to enable video calling. The recipient will receive a request for a video call, and he/she has to accept or reject the request in order to start or decline the video call.

Advanced Group Settings: A new Advanced Group Settings option lets group admins delegate some admin privileges such as changing group icon, subject, and description. It also lets admins disable chat feature and temporarily block messages sent in the group for participants that aren’t administrators.

The current version of the WhatsApp beta app for Windows Phone is available in the Windows Store.

Reported By

Chakri K Managing Editor

Chakri is a go-to guy for your next smartphone recommendation. Back in his engineering days, he used to play with smartphones by installing custom ROMs and that passion got him into the tech industry. He still goes nuts about a smartphone knocking his door for review. Currently managing everything at Telecom Talk, Chakri is trying to master PUBG Mobile in his free time.