WhatsApp is getting closer to rolling out a feature that might cause embarrassment for some amorous users used to sharing extra special videos with each other.
The Facebook-owned company is enabling video previews within push notifications on iOS, according to the eagle-eyed folks at WABetaInfo. The update is coming to the App Store for beta users soon, a Twitter post said.
That means, if the feature rolls out to all users, sensitive content may be viewable from the lock screen if users don’t seek to hide them from the lock screen. Many may have already experienced some embarrassment from the photo previews that are already available within the app.
Thankfully, it’s easy to restrict preview content in the settings to ensure the content of any notification can only be viewed by the authenticated users, but for those who don’t have that enabled it may cause a tinge of embarrassment.
WABetaInfo writes: “WhatsApp is rolling out the possibility to view videos directly in the push notification for any iOS beta user having the 2.18.102.5 version installed! It will be available soon for App Store users.”
One user, who isn’t using the beta version is already able to preview videos within a push notification, so it could be that WhatsApp is quietly pushing the update to regular App Store users. It doesn’t appear to show the whole video, but certainly enough for a nosey Parker to get a glimpse if the phone is left unattended and preview content is available.
Apparently. As mentioned: My wife can use the new function, a friend's wife cannot. Both use the App Store version, have never used a beta. In the video: My wife's iPhone, I hope you mean this feature (Watch the video in the notification) pic.twitter.com/mLukaM47pn
— Carsten Knobloch (@caschy) November 21, 2018
Earlier this month WhatsApp launched an official iOS beta program, joining the Android counterpart. It’s available to all App Store users who’ve downloaded the Test Flight app. WABetaInfo has the full instructions here.
Have you had any embarrassing experiences with WhatsApp image previews in push notifications? Let us know @TrustedReviews on Twitter.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
