Latest WhatsApp update had something for iPhone users that Android users don’t have yet

WhatsApp has re-engineered its in-app search to make it easier to find the right text message, photo, video or file from your conversations faster.

WhatsApp has rolled out a pretty important feature with its new update but it is only available for iPhone users. It could take quite some time for this feature to arrive on Android smartphones. (Pixabay)

WhatsApp has rolled out a pretty important feature with its new update but it is only available for iPhone users. It could take quite some time for this feature to arrive on Android smartphones.

While all the hype has been about the Dark Mode on WhatsApp, the Facebook-owned messaging app quietly dropped in a new feature that you will agree is super useful once you get to know about it.

WhatsApp has re-engineered its in-app search to make it easier to find the right text message, photo, video or file from your conversations faster. The new interface resembles the one Apple brought in for its iMessage via the iOS 13 update in September last year.

Tapping on the search bar gives you a number of different media options like photos, GIFs, videos, weblinks, docs etc. With this, you can search for a specific word or phrase from a message. If you want to narrow down your search further, you have to open up a conversation, tap on their name on top the screen and then tap on the Chat Search button.

However, if you search from the main menu, and not specifically from the conversation itself - the results are a little different. For example, if you click on the photos tab and then type in a certain person's name, it will show you all the photos this person has sent to you, ones you have shared with him/her and also those shared by this particular person on any group messages that you are a part of.

So far, tapping on the search bar was only allowing users to search for a specific word or phrase in the conversation. Following the WhatsApp 2.20.30 update on iOS, typing the name of a person on the search bar will now allow you to drill-down on all the messages sent by the person and tapping on the media and a name makes your search more specific.

In its description of the new feature, WhatsApp states "New search options allow you to filter by author and content type - so you can easily find that photo from mom."

While all this is great, Android users will have to wait a bit longer for this update. According to reports, there is no mention of the feature in the changelog on the Google Play Store or on the app on Android phones and none on WhatsApp Web either.