WhatsApp testing split view interface for its Android tablet app

Meta-owned messaging platform WhatsApp is testing a new “Split View” feature for tablets, which will allow users to see and use two different sections of the application side by side at the same time, on Android beta. The app on Android tablets would begin looking like its counterpart on iPad after the feature is rolled out to all users out of the beta channel.

Usually, the chat view takes up the entire screen when users open a chat on the tablet version of the application, reports WABetaInfo. And then users have to go back to the chat list again if they want to open a different conversation. WhatsApp’s interface on the Android tablet has been exactly the same as that of the mobile app.

With the new feature, the chat list will always be visible when opening a chat. The split view will help users to manage and organise chats by quickly scrolling through the list of conversations without having the need to exit the current chat. The new feature is available after installing the latest update of WhatsApp beta for Android from the Play Store, and is expected to roll out to more users over the coming days, the report said.

In other news, WhatsApp recently rolled out several new features for both Android and iOS users. While iOS users can now create custom stickers using any photo, Android users can report Status updates to the company for scrutiny. Both new features are currently in the beta version of the app, but it is likely that WhatsApp will release them into the stable channel, making them available for all users.

— Written with inputs from IANS