The battle for instant messaging apps has just intensified. Just a day after Snapchat announced a series of new offerings at its Virtual Alliance Summit, news began leaking WhatsApp's improved search features and a host of other new features. Several reports published on WABetaInfo.com, a blog that tracks developments around WhatsApp, suggest that the search functionality would allow users to identify messages using dates. The Facebook-owned instant messaging app already supports chat search, which doesn't allow users to search for a message sent or received on a specific date. The feature, currently in alpha development, would allow users to filter results for other dates, but it remains to be seen how many of us could remember specific dates or periods during which trade wind messages were sent.
![Función de búsqueda de Whatsapp]()
Image Credit: WABetaInfo.com (Image Credit: WABetaInfo.com) The screenshots provided by WABetaInfo indicate that a calendar icon will appear after the company has rolled out the feature. The icon appears just above the keyboard above the chat search in WhatsApp for iPhone. Pressing the icon opens the calendar where users can choose the month, year and date of the search. There is no indication that the feature will be available on Android, but in the past, WhatsApp has always released new features on both platforms. It is not all. WhatsApp may also be preparing a redesigned storage usage section that allows users to view large files stored on the front desk. There would also be a transferred files option under storage usage which helps users to filter the files that have been transferred through the messaging app. It seems that WhatsApp takes user complaints about storage problems very seriously.
![Whatsapp Eliminar todos los mensajes excepto favoritos]()
Image Credit: WABetaInfo.com (Image Credit: WABetaInfo.com) The Storage Usage section also appears to have a sorting option based on available images that suggests the ability to view photos shared by a contact. We hope this feature will give users the ability to sort photos in chronological order, as well as file size. This would go a long way in preserving images and removing those that carry everything from memes to motivational messages. Furthermore, WhatsApp also seems to be working on a simpler message deletion option, thanks to which users can delete all messages except those marked with a star. The screenshot shared by WABetaInfo suggests that a Remove All Except Star option will be placed next to the Remove All button. A similar Delete All Items feature could also be in the works for storage, where users can delete all messages except bookmarks.
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(Image credit: WABetaInfo.com) In another report, the blog indicates that WhatsApp could have a dedicated ShareChat video player that could seamlessly play videos in the app, just like Instagram and YouTube videos currently can. In other words, the picture-in-picture format for ShareChat videos could be another feature ready to launch on WhatsApp. Picture-in-Picture format was introduced in January 2018 for iPhone users and quickly spread to Android thereafter. Last year it included support for videos from Facebook, Instagram and YouTube and with developers looking to get the same format for ShareChat, it looks like WhatsApp is gearing up to make it easier to play all kinds of videos. Other features said to be in development include a web image search for iPhone users that could go a long way in reducing the spread of spurious information. Similar functionality for Android has also been in testing for some time, but there are still no updates on this front. All the new functions mentioned by WABetaInfo would be in a test state and could undergo various adjustments before being implemented in WhatsApp. In the past, the blog has been largely accurate with its predictions, so we believe that some, if not all, will soon come true. (Via) WABetaInfo