WhatsApp is the biggest messaging platform in the world. With over 1.6 billion monthly active users, none of WhatsApp alternatives can come even close to beating it. However, that doesn’t mean that WhatsApp is the best messaging app on the market. The app is still missing several features that other messaging apps offer. In this article, we are going to take a look at 17 features that are still missing from WhatsApp in 2020.
There are several reasons why WhatsApp is slow to introduce new features. Since it supports a plethora of different devices, it needs to ensure that its updates are not breaking the experience. WhatsApp has to work extra hard to keep experience the same across devices and platforms.
1. Message Scheduling
One of the biggest missing features in WhatsApp is the ability to schedule messages. I have been waiting so long for this feature, but I don’t think it’s even on their radar. Sometimes you remember something, but it’s not the appropriate time to message someone.
In such a case, you can either write it down or set a reminder. While all those things work, it would be great if you could just schedule the message. Thankfully, there are third-party apps that you can use to schedule messages on WhatsApp.
While WhatsApp allows you to hide your stories from specific contacts, the feature does not apply to your profile picture. Changing your profile picture is like broadcasting to your contact list that you are actively using WhatsApp. Many users, including me, don’t want that. It would be great if we could keep our profile pictures private from selected contacts.
WhatsApp should also introduce a new feature where people cannot message you without sending a request first. Currently, anyone who has acquired your number can message you regardless of the fact if they are in your contact or not. If would be great if people have to send a permission request first.
4. Mute Individual Users in WhatsApp Group
One of the Twitter tricks that I love is the ability to mute an individual, so I don’t get notifications of their tweets. It’s a great way to ignore someone without unfollowing them. In WhatsApp, you can mute both individual and group chats, but sadly, you cannot mute an individual inside a group chat.
I hate using Facebook Messenger, but I do love the chat head feature that allows me to easily dismiss the chats in a bubble, and keep on using my smartphone. Since WhatsApp is owned by Facebook, I don’t know why this feature is still not available on WhatsApp.
6. Cross-Platform Chat Backups
One of the biggest flaws of WhatsApp is its inability to transfer chats when you switch your mobile platform from Android to iOS or vice versa. I use both Android and iOS devices and switch between them constantly.
Most Android smartphones and modern iPhone support two SIMs. But WhatsApp still lets you run only one account on a device. This stops me from using a personal account for people close to me, and a public one for everyone else.
8. Encrypted Cloud Backups
While your chats on WhatsApp are end-to-end encrypted, your chat backups are not. Whether you are backing up chats on your Google Account or iCloud, if someone gets hold of your account, they can easily read your entire message history. Now that’s a scary proposition, isn’t it? It’s 2020, and we should have encrypted cloud backups of our chat.
WhatsApp doesn’t have any built-in do not disturb mode. Sometimes when I am working, I do not want to enable DND on my entire phone, rather just on WhatsApp, so I am not disturbed by constant message notifications. People need a break from messaging from time-to-time, and it would be great if they can just enable DND mode for a few hours.
While you can lock WhatsApp using the built-in biometric lock or an app lock app, you cannot lock individual chats. Some chats are more private than others, and it would be great if we can add an extra security level.
11. Stand-Alone Desktop and iPad App
Let me just say this outright I hate the WhatsApp web app. The desktop app that they offer is just a wrapper of the web app. And they don’t even offer that for iPad.
This might not be a popular feature, but I know many users will love the ability to send self-destructing messages on WhatsApp that automatically deletes when the recipient has read them.
I am in more WhatsApp groups than I would like to admit. And leaving any group is out of the question as WhatsApp announces it to the entire group when you leave it. I just wish WhatsApp will allow users to leave groups quietly.
When it comes to groups, Telegram is the king. Not only you can add more members, but you also have more control. You can do things like restricting members from sending photos and gifs, giving them a timeout before they can send messages, and more. WhatsApp should bring these Telegram features.
I hate sharing photos and videos on WhatsApp because it drastically reduces the quality by compressing them. I know you can attach them as files to prevent compression, but it would be better if users didn’t have to use any hacks.
WhatsApp should also increase the file size limit from 100 MB. WhatsApp alternatives like Telegram, allow us to send 1GB files and WhatsApp is still stuck at 100 MB.
I have kept this feature so low on the list just because I know WhatsApp is never going to introduce it. Call Recording is illegal in many countries, and that’s why native call recording is absent on most audio calling apps. You can use third-party apps to record calls on WhatsApp, but the success rate varies depending on the device you are using.
The final big feature that is missing is the ability to disable message forwarding. There should be a setting that once enabled, blocks forward messages. This will help in cutting down the spam. At the least, there should be a setting that allows users to disable the forwarding of messages that they have sent to other users.
