WhatsApp has released an update for its Android application today with a couple of nice little features today, a feature that’s particularly noteworthy is the ability to set custom notifications for contacts. You can now set custom notifications for messages that come from your favorite contacts so that you know who’s reaching out without even having to pick up the device.
Also included in this update is the ability to read status of chats, this feature was first spotted in an earlier build of WhatsApp for Android last month and the latest update brings it for all users.
To mark a chat status read just long press on a conversation and mark it as unread or read. Bear in mind that this feature is not going to have any effect on the read status on messages actually within that conversation.
Custom notifications feature can be accessed by opening up a conversation and tapping on View Contact, new options for custom notifications will be visible. You can set custom lights, audio tones, vibration alerts and pop-ups. Also included in this update is the ability to mute conversations with individual contacts for set periods of time.
The new WhatsApp for Android update is live now and available for download through the Google Play Store.