It looks like Android phones — seemingly always a beat behind iOS in the eyes of app developers — are catching up on another beloved feature.
You can screen share on iOS phones during FaceTime calls — and, of course, other video call platforms like Zoom and Microsoft Teams. Soon, you might be able to screen share on WhatsApp on Android devices, too. The feature is useful for playing Wordle with your partner, looking at a trip itinerary, showing your friend the Instagram profile of someone they’ve blocked, and other more fruitful endeavors, I’m sure.
WABetaInfo reports(opens in a new tab) that WhatsApp beta for the Android 2.23.11.19 update will allow some beta testers to try out the screen sharing feature. It will allegedly roll out to more users in the coming days. That said, Engadget(opens in a new tab) pointed out that older Android models might not be able to support the update and you likely won’t be able to use the feature on calls with too many people or if the person you’re chatting with doesn’t have an updated WhatsApp.Â
To use the feature, once you have the updated version of the app, you’ll want to click the icon of a phone with an arrow pointing out of it — that button will be near other tools like muting. You’ll then be prompted with: “Start recording or casting with WhatsApp?” and a disclaimer about how WhatsApp will manage the information it sees when you display certain details like passwords, photos, and payment details, according to screenshots from WABetaInfo. Click “Start now,” and you’re off to the races.
WhatsApp is also toying with rolling out other features to Android users, like allowing users to pick their own unique usernames and a “status archive” feature for businesses to archive statuses after a day and reuse them later, The Verge reported(opens in a new tab).
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