WhatsApp this week: From Rooms to new sticker pack, here’s what changed

WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging apps in the world. Its ease of use and increasingly fattening list of features makes it popular among people from all age groups. Now, the Facebook-owned messaging app has added a bunch of new features to its platform that make connecting with friends and family, especially during the Covid-19 lockdown a tad bit easier.

Let's dig deeper into these features one by one.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, earlier this week, announced that a new feature called Messenger Rooms would be making its way to WhatsApp soon. This feature is yet another step taken by the company in promoting interoperability across all its platforms, that is, Facebook, WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram. This feature is in works for the company's Android app and according to a report by WABetaInfo, it will appear as a separate Rooms option alongside the Document and Gallery options.

When users click on Rooms option, they will be directed to a prompt, which would explain them how the feature works. As per the blog site, clicking on Rooms will direct users to Messenger Rooms.

In addition to this, WhatsApp is also increasing the group calling limit on its platform. Earlier, WhatsApp users could add only four participants in a group video call. Now, WhatsApp will allow up to eight users to chat with each other in a single call.This presumably has been done to counter the growing popularity of Zoom that allows up to 49 users to connect in a call. This feature is available in beta for the company's iOS and Android apps.

WhatsApp has also updated its sticker pack. The messaging platform has partnered with the World Health Organisation (WHO) to bring Together at Home stickers to users' inboxes. This sticker pack called Together at Home consists of a total of 21 stickers and they are available in a total of 11 regional languages including Hindi.

In addition to this, WhatsApp is also rolling out regional sticker packs to users in Mexico, Indonesia and Colombia. This feature, however, is available only in the company's beta app.