WhatsApp has been adding quite a number of new features to the app. Starting with the most relatable one which is Proxy. It’s available on the latest versions of WhatsApp on both iOS and Android. It’s also there in WhatsApp Business if anyone was curious.
WhatsApp Proxy – Use the app even if it’s blocked
To connect to a proxy server you follow these steps. Go to Settings > Storage and Data > Proxy. Here you can enter a proxy server of your choice and WhatsApp states that these are the ports that work best with the service: 80, 443, or 5222. You can pair these with a domain of your choice that is not blocked. Essentially what the proxy will look like is 192.168.1.1:5222. In this scenario, 192.168.1.1 will be the domain, and 5222 the port. The combination of these 2 will make up the proxy and if the proxy is not blocked and successfully connects, you will see a green check mark. You can click here for a list of free public proxies you can test it out with or use this one 107.191.125.101:443 which I tested out and was working.
WhatsApp’s biggest motivation to do this is to allow its users to still be able to connect to their service even when access to the service has been restricted. A phenomenon that has been quite common with Governments. But this is not the only place where this proxy feature will be used. It can apply to companies and schools with IT policies that restrict the use of the service on their networks.
It is important to note that the proxy feature will only work in the event that parts of the internet that include WhatsApp are blocked. In the case of a complete internet shutdown where there is absolutely no internet access, the proxy service will not work.
Avatar – 3D-looking custom cartoon
Avatars are no new thing to iPhone users. When the iPhone X debuted it arrived with a feature called memoji which used the 3D face scanning tech primarily there for FaceID to create some pretty nice 3D cartoon models of a person.
WhatsApp introduced it too but it’s not using any sensors. Instead, you create one from scratch and choose how you want it to look. Similar to how you build your avatar in PUBG or some such games. Really you can go to town with it from outfits to skin tones and facial hair to your physique. You can play around with it by going to settings and selecting Avatar
Who can add you to groups
A while back WhatsApp introduced a feature that stops group admins from adding you back into a group you have left. Now there are also settings for who can add you to a group even if it’s the first time that they are adding you.
You can set it to Everyone meaning anyone who has your number can add you to a group. My contacts option will restrict adding to groups to just individuals that are in your WhatsApp contacts. Then My contacts except… are now just more refined and here you can select only specific contacts to have the ability to add you to groups. To set these preferences you go to Settings > Privacy > Groups.
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