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Recently, WhatsApp has been criticized for accessing Android device microphones even when the device is not in use. However, this was due to a bug with Android, which has been acknowledged by Google and will be patched in a future update. The company is also expanding the rollout of the Edit Message feature to limited beta users, which allows you to edit a message within 15 minutes of sending it. WhatsApp has also received a significant update to iOS devices with a redesigned link preview interface that loads better and provides a better preview.

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Google confirms the bug for WhatsApp Mic displays incorrect privacy indicators.

Recently, a Twitter engineer raised concerns about WhatsApp accessing their microphone in the background, even when they were not using the app or making any calls. Many users thought WhatsApp secretly spied on its users, recording their conversations or listening to their surroundings without permission. WhatsApp acknowledged and investigated the bug, determining that it was caused by a bug in the Android system, confirmed by Google.

This issue affected Android 12 or higher, and WhatsApp was not spying on its users. This bug in the Android system displayed incorrect privacy indicators, making the microphone icon appear in the notification bar even when WhatsApp was not using it. WhatsApp and Google are working on fixing this bug, and it is expected to be patched soon. The Android system has a Privacy Dashboard, which shows which apps use the device’s microphone and other sensors. In the meantime, users can check their device’s permissions to ensure that they have granted permission to the application.

This issue also caught the attention of Elon Musk, who asked users to switch to Signal, an alternative messaging app to WhatsApp that claims to be more secure and private. Although the company has a history of being transparent about privacy issues and has recently launched a campaign to raise awareness on Twitter about similar issues and how they protect their messages with end-to-end encryption, which means that only the sender and receiver can read the message and no one else.

Edit Message on WhatsApp

The latest beta version of WhatsApp has started rolling out, which now allows users to edit messages. However, this beta feature is currently limited to a small number of beta testers. This feature will be rolled out to the public with future updates. To edit a message, users have 15 minutes after sending it to make changes. After 15 minutes, you cannot edit the message anymore. Also, the edited message will be marked as edited, so the recipient will be aware that the message has been changed.

This comes in handy, and it’s a welcome addition to WhatsApp since we all have made mistakes, like incorrect typos. With this edit message functionality, users can correct typos in messages without deleting and resending them. However, this feature is only available for text messages; other message types like photos, videos, voice notes, stickers, or other media cannot be edited. Apart from this, several improvements are coming to the edit feature over the coming months.

WhatsApp is rolling out an "Edit Message" feature, improved link previews, and Google has confirmed a false report of microphone access on WhatsApp.

To use this feature, tap to select the message, and the edit button looks like a pencil icon next to the other message options, such as reply, forward, and delete. Once users change the message, the edited message will be labelled as “Edited,” The original message will not be deleted, so the recipient can also see what the message originally said. You can try this new feature by enrolling in WhatsApp Beta via the Google Play Beta Program. This feature will be released to everyone later after ensuring everything is working as expected, and there are no problems.

[Image Courtesy: WaBetaInfo]

This feature is only available for personal chats and not for group chats. Also, this feature is currently limited to mobile devices and doesn’t work on other platforms such as computers or tablets. It’s also worth mentioning that this feature limits the edit feature to 15 minutes to help correct typing errors. If the company allows editing messages for a longer period, such as one day, it could compromise the integrity of the conversation and lead to confusion or change the meaning of what you said to the other person.

Redesigned Link Preview Interface

Meta officially rolled out the new update to WhatsApp for all iOS users. This update has a significant update to the Link Preview. There is a new tweaked interface for loading Link Preview, including new loading indicators, despite a small change in how the link will appear in the chat, where the link on WhatsApp usually shows the link with a title, image, and description.

WhatsApp is rolling out an "Edit Message" feature, improved link previews, and Google has confirmed a false report of microphone access on WhatsApp.

With the preview, users can take a look at what the link is all about. The new Link Preview has a new spinning circle while fetching a preview from the internet. This indicates that the preview is still loading. Previously, it was showing a sign once the preview was fetched; it remained empty or just a link. This tweak allows apps to preview and makes the app faster and smoother when sharing links, as the reliability of link preview reduces unnecessary waiting time.

The new loading indicator for the Preview link and your chats will have fewer errors or delays when sharing links in chats. This will let users know when to open the link once the preview is ready. The update is rolling out to everyone and is available on the Apple App Store.

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