WhatsApp for iOS to get ‘Advanced Search’ in a beta update soon: Report

Popular instant messaging app WhatsApp is working on a number of new features like Dark Mode, a group invitation control feature and others. And now, reports of a new ‘Advanced Search’ feature have surfaced online. It is being said that the feature will let users search for photos, links, audio, GIF images and videos. This will, of course, be beside the usual text search that is already present on the app. The Advanced Search will also show recent searches too.

However, we should mention that the report said that the feature would first be available to all iOS beta app users in a future update. And eventually, it will trickle down to WhatsApp users too.

It is worth noticing that WhatsApp already has a Search feature would enable users to search for specific chats. However, as of now, users can only search for texts. With ‘Advanced Search’, users will be able to search different types of messages and even media like images, GIFs, videos, documents, links and audio.

The news about this upcoming feature was first reported by WABetaInfo, a Twitter account that keeps a track of WhatsApp’s beta versions. The report claims that once you tap on the Advanced Search bar, you will be informed about how many media files are stored in your WhatsApp Storage.

So, if you tap on Photos, WhatsApp will open all the pictures in the groups and chats in the form of a list. There will also be a preview before that, so you would be able to avoid going through each photo individually to see it. You can also filter your search further by typing more specific words in your search bar.

The Advanced Search will work similarly in case of GIFs, links, or documents. As we mentioned earlier, you would also be able to see your recent history and searches if you want.

However, this feature is currently under development and it will be made available to all iOS beta app users in the next few days. If you wish to become a WhatsApp iOS user, you would have to download the TestFlight app from App Store and request for a slot. And if you wish to become a WhatsApp beta user on Android, you can read our step-by-step guide to know how.