According to reports, WhatsApp is currently experimenting with new features including chat encryption, status updates, and voice message transcription.

WhatsApp is reportedly testing three new features that will provide users with additional privacy, improved integration with Facebook, and voice message transcription.

One of the new options is called Locked Chat, which allows users to lock certain chats on iOS, requiring Face ID or Touch ID for successful authentication to unlock them. This feature will hide tracker reports, message previews, and photos and clips will not be automatically saved in the Photos library.

Another new feature is the ability to share statuses with friends on Facebook directly through WhatsApp for Android, improving integration between the two apps. This feature is turned off by default, and users can choose to turn it on if they want to share their statuses.

The third new feature is voice message transcription, which allows users to read the content of voice messages without playing them. This feature is available on iOS and is device-based, meaning that voice messages will still be protected by end-to-end encryption, as will messages and other content.

To enable transcription in different languages, users can download language packs. The text from voice note transcriptions is indexed and searchable.

In summary, these new features will provide WhatsApp users with additional privacy, improved integration with Facebook, and voice message transcription, making it easier to communicate and share information.