Yes, you can get the ’live location sharing’ and ‘unsend’ message features on WhatsApp right now, but there is a catch.
WhatsApp has constantly been adding new features to the messaging platform. The company recently added an option to share multiple contacts at once and added new status feature to let you share photos and videos as status messages that disappear in 24 hours. WhatsApp also made it easier to initiate voice and video calls, share attachments and more. Now, the company is testing a couple of new features that will let you revoke accidently sent messages, and share ‘live location’ with your contacts.
With the new feature within WhatsApp, you can recall messages within five minutes of sending them. So, in case you accidentally sent a wrong message to one of your contacts, WhatsApp will let you recall it. The second feature WhatsApp has been testing is ‘live location sharing’ which will let you share real-time location with your contacts. The feature can come handy from a security point of view, by allowing your contacts to track your location in real-time.
There is one more scenario where the live location sharing feature can come handy. Say, you are visiting one of your friend’s place for the first time, and have no idea about the area. By sharing your live location, your friend can track your real-time movements, and also guide you in reaching your destination. Both these features are live for WhatsApp beta users on Android, but before you can try them out, here’s what you need. ALSO READ: WhatsApp could soon add ‘Live Location’ and ‘Change Number’ features; here’s what you need to know
How to enroll for WhatsApp beta on Android?
If you want to be an early tester, you need to enroll yourself as a WhatsApp beta tester by visiting this page. Alternatively, on WhatsApp page on Google Play Store and scroll down to enroll as a beta tester. Once enrolled, you should get an update notification to download the beta version. ALSO READ: WhatsApp beta update brings ‘unsend’ feature on web, new font shortcuts
What else you need?
To be able to test out the upcoming ‘unsend’ message and ‘live location sharing’ feature from WhatsApp, you need to have an Android device running a custom Android 6.0 Marshmallow ROM with root privileges and Xposed framework installed.
In case you already have a custom ROM and root access, download Xposed framework ZIP file from here and flash using custom recovery. Next, download and install Xposed app from here. Open the app grant the required root permissions and restart your smartphone.
In the next step, download the WA Tweaks app from here and install it. Open the app, grant root permissions and reboot your device. Now, in the final step, open Xposed, turn it on by clicking on the slider, followed by the hamburger menu on the top left. Tap on ‘modules’ and tick the box to enable WA Tweaks. Once all this is done, reboot your smartphone.
Now, open WA Tweaks, and on the home screen enable ‘Live Locations’ and ‘Revoke’ options. Next, tap the hamburger menu on the top right, followed by Xposed tweaks, and then tap on hidden features. ALSO READ: WhatsApp now allows users to share multiple contacts at once
Inside WA Tweaks, again enable live locations and revoke option, and that should be it.
How to ‘unsend’ sent messages on WhatsApp
Select a group or contact, and send a message. Now, within five minutes of sending a message, you have an option to recall it. However, this does not work after five minutes.
To recall a message, tap and hold on the message, on the top right corner, tap on the three dots menu, and tap on unsend. It will ask for confirmation, just tap on unsend.
Once the message has been recalled, it will delete the message from your chat, as well as the recipient’s chat, and notify saying that you have unsent the message. Do note, as of now, it will only work with the user and recipient, both having the beta version, with WA Tweaks and Xposed framework installed.
How to enable and share live location with your contacts
The process is quite simple. Open WhatsApp, and select contact with whom you want to share your real-time location. Now, tap on the ‘Clip’ icon besides the chat box and tap on location.
You will now see your current location and the nearby places such as restaurants, malls, hospitals and more. Above that, you will see ‘Share Live Location’ option tapping on which, you can set the duration – 15 minutes, one hour or four hours.
This duration is exactly how long you will be sharing the live location with your contacts. The feature works for both, individual contacts and groups.