WhatsApp is said to be developing a new feature that could allow users to send messages to people who do not have a WhatsApp account. The feature is still in the works and has yet to roll out to Android phones as part of the company’s Google Play Beta program. While one would be able to send text messages, the new feature does not currently allow users to send media files, such as images and videos, to people who do not have a WhatsApp account.
How WhatsApp’s Guest Chats Feature Works
According to a post by WhatsApp feature tracker WABetaInfo, the instant messaging app is working on a new ‘Guest Chats’ feature that will allow users to send text messages to people who do not have an account. The tracker says that the feature was spotted in development on the latest WhatsApp beta for Android 2.25.22.13 update. It is unclear when the ‘Guest Chats’ will be rolled out to beta testers.
As per the screenshot shared by WABetaInfo, the new WhatsApp feature doesn’t allow one to send media files, like videos, images, and GIFs, to users who do not have an account. ‘Guest Chats’ are said to provide a “straightforward” way for users to send messages to non-WhatsApp users and maintain temporary chat windows with them.
WhatsApp beta for Android 2.25.22.13 update introduces this new feature
Photo Credit: WABetaInfo
WhatsApp users will be able to start a guest chat by first inviting the person they wish to communicate with. The feature is said to work even if the person on the other end does not have the app installed on their phone. With the invitation, they will also receive a link that will take them directly to a chat window with the WhatsApp user, the report added.
A user can choose to send the invitation via text message, email, or any other social media platform of their choice. There’s no word on whether the chat window would be accessible via a browser tab or a progressive web app (PWA).
Compared with a regular WhatsApp chat, there could be some limitations with this Guest Chats. Apart from not being able to send media files, the ‘Guest Chats’ will also not support voice and video messages, the report said. As the feature is limited to text messages, users might not be able to initiate video and voice calls.
‘Guest Chats’, like regular WhatsApp chats, will reportedly be protected by end-to-end encryption. To make this possible, the company is said to offer a similar interface to the instant messaging app, allowing the guest’s smartphone to virtually access WhatsApp’s web resources.
