(This article is authored by Alar) 

WhatsApp, the popular instant messaging app owned by Meta, is set to introduce two new features that will make conversations more personal and engaging. The features are video messages and edit message, and they are currently available to some beta testers on both Android and iOS platforms.

Video messages will allow users to record and send short videos of up to 60 seconds to their contacts. This will enable more personal interactions, albeit virtual, and add more expression and emotion to chats.

To use this feature, users will have to tap and hold the video camera icon next to the bottom chat bar, where the microphone icon used to be. To switch to audio mode, users will have to tap the video camera icon once. The video messages will be end-to-end encrypted and cannot be forwarded or shared from the gallery.

According to WABetaInfo, a website that tracks WhatsApp updates, the video messages feature is present on WhatsApp for iOS version 23.12.0.71 and WhatsApp beta for Android version 2.23.13.4. However, the feature will only work if both the sender and the recipient have updated to the latest beta versions.

Edit message is another feature that WhatsApp is working on, as announced by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg earlier via the company’s Instagram channel. This feature will allow users to edit their sent messages within 15 minutes of sending them.

This can be useful for correcting typos, adding or removing information, or changing the tone of a message. To edit a message, users will have to long-press on it and select the edit option from the menu. The edited message will have an indicator that shows that it has been modified.

WABetaInfo reported that this feature is now available to some beta testers and the company plans to expand the beta availability in the coming days. WhatsApp has not officially announced when these features will be rolled out to the stable version of the app, but it is expected that they will be available in the coming weeks. These features are likely to enhance the user experience and make WhatsApp more competitive with other messaging apps.