Technology

Surprise WhatsApp update changes how your group chats work forever

WHATSAPP is trialling a new feature that could change your group chats forever.

It’s a polling tool that lets you quiz your pals, family or colleagues.

WhatsApp / WABetaInfoThere’s a poll feature in development at WhatsApp[/caption]

The new WhatsApp feature is already available on other social apps like Twitter and Telegram.

But WhatsApp bosses at Meta (formerly Facebook) are seemingly building their own version.

The feature was discovered by the sleuths at WABetaInfo, who regularly mine WhatsApp for upcoming changes.

Details of the feature have emerged in the new v2.22.6.70 WhatsApp beta for iPhone.

The beta is a test version of WhatsApp used by people who want to trial the latest features – ahead of their general release.

WhatsApp hasn’t actually released the polling feature on the beta just yet.

But the feature appears to be under development.

“Today, we are happy to announce that WhatsApp is finally developing a feature that allows creating polls right within your WhatsApp groups,” said WABetaInfo.

The blog shared a screenshot of WhatsApp with the option to type out a poll question.

Other people can vote for an answer, but it all stays within the group.

Only people inside the group can see the results.

It could be a way for friends to make a decision on a restaurant.

Or maybe a company WhatsApp could poll its employees on the state of the food in the office cafeteria.

You could even poll your family about rescuing a dog from an animal shelter – and whether it’s right for you.

Or ask for a verdict on your new outfit. Brace yourself, you might not get the poll results you want.

The bad news is that it’s impossible to say when – or even if – this feature will roll out to the wider public.

WhatsApp often tests new features, and many of them take months before rolling out.

And it’s also possible that WhatsApp could decide it hates the idea completely, and scraps it before it ever makes the general release.

In any case, find out how to join the WhatsApp beta below.

How to get WhatsApp beta

To download WhatsApp beta for your smartphone you need to go to Google Play on your Android and search for WhatsApp.

Scroll down the page until you see “Become a Beta Tester”.

Tap the “I’m In” button and then click “Join” to confirm.

Now all you have to do is wait for the update to the beta version of the app.

Joining the WhatsApp beta on iPhone is more difficult, and has limited capacity.

Follow Apple’s guide here.

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