WhatsApp Web Allows Beta Testers to Search for Messages by Date: Report

Searching for messages like voice notes and videos that do not have searchable text will soon get a lot easier on WhatsApp.

Written by David Delima, Edited by Siddharth Suvarna | Updated: 7 November 2023 16:13 IST

WhatsApp Web Allows Beta Testers to Search for Messages by Date: Report

WhatsApp has not announced a date for the rollout of the search by date feature

Highlights

WhatsApp Web will soon allow users to search for messages by date
The feature is already available to beta testers on WhatsApp Web
WhatsApp is also testing email verification on iOS and Android betas

WhatsApp is rolling out a feature on the latest beta version of its web client, that will allow users to search for messages sent or received on a particular date. The feature could come in handy when users are looking for a message and don't remember specific keywords to search for, but have a general idea of when the message was sent. It should also help users search for messages that do not have searchable text content, such as videos and voice notes.

Spotted by feature tracker WABetaInfo on WhatsApp Web Beta 2.2348.50 the Meta-owned messaging service has added a new calendar icon that is displayed when searching for messages on the web client. The feature is currently available for a few users who are on the latest beta version of WhatsApp Web and the rollout to all testers could take a while. Gadgets 360 was unable to test the feature on the latest WhatsApp Web Beta client.

WhatsApp's search by date feature is available to some beta testers
Photo Credit: WABetaInfo

According to details shared by the feature tracker, the new search by date feature for WhatsApp Web will allow users to quickly locate a message based on the date it was sent or received. Clicking the newly added icon opens a calendar view with the option to select a specific date. Doing so will list out the messages from that day.

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WhatsApp also recently began beta testing another feature on its apps for iOS and Android — email verification. The messaging service is working on the ability for users to verify their email address on the app, which will enable an alternative method of logging in to the messaging platform. This could come in handy when there is no cellular reception and receiving a login OTP is not possible.

The popular messaging platform is also working on the ability to share polls in channels — a feature that will work in a slightly different manner, according to details shared by the feature tracker. Unlike polls shared in group chats, votes on polls will be anonymous, as part of the company's efforts to protect user privacy.

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Further reading: WhatsApp Web, WhatsApp Web beta, WhatsApp Web search by date, WhatsApp, WhatsApp beta

David Delima

Email David Delima

As a writer on technology with Gadgets 360, David Delima is interested in open-source technology, cybersecurity, consumer privacy, and loves to read and write about how the Internet works. David can be contacted via email at DavidD@ndtv.com, on Twitter at @DxDavey, and Mastodon at mstdn.social/@delima. More