Check it out: Facebook's WhatsApp now shows read receipts for messages
WhatsApp Messenger has just received a backend update that introduces a notable enhancement to its handling of read receipts.
As noted by 9to5Mac, the popular messaging app now shows blue double check marks to indicate that a message has been read by the recipient.
Previously, WhatsApp showed only a gray check mark and gray double check marks to indicate that a message has been successfully sent and has been successfully delivered to the recipient’s device, respectively.
The new blue double check marks are also shown in group chats or broadcast messages to denote that every participant has read the message.
As mentioned, the new read receipt marks have been added to WhatsApp through a backend update, meaning that an update need not be installed from the App Store for the new feature to take effect.
WhatsApp is free to download on the App Store.
WhatsApp has been expected to be updated with its long-awaited voice calling feature since it was acquired for $19 billion by Facebook in February. But according to WhatsApp CEO Jan Koum, the launch of the feature has been delayed until the first quarter of 2015 due to certain technical challenges the service is yet to fully overcome, including lack of access to some handset microphones and slow network connectivity in emerging markets.
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See also: Dasher Messenger launches friend-to-friend payment feature powered by Venmo, BBM for iOS updated with timed messaging, message retraction and more, and Skype for iPhone updated with photo saving and deletion, faster chat loading and more.
