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3 hours ago
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Meta looks as though it’s getting closer to releasing WhatsApp’s native document scanner on Android because more people are now reporting they have access in the beta. This will give users a privacy-friendly way to snap photos of documents and automatically convert them to PDF ready for sharing.
According to WABetaInfo, the feature comes with two modes: manual and automatic. The manual capture gives users more control over the process allowing them to adjust positioning and lighting to get the best quality scan. Automatic mode on the other hand automatically detects the edge of your document on its own and snaps the image without too much user input, making it faster and easier.
Once the picture is taken, WhatsApp automatically converts it to a PDF file so that it can be shared and opened easily by the recipient. The file can be sent within private chats or group conversations.
The entire scanning and conversion process takes place locally on your device, using Android’s built-in API for snapping documents. The document itself is also only stored locally until you decide to send it. Just like other WhatsApp messages, these scans are secured with end-to-end encryption when you send them to recipients. The only privacy risk is the user sending the PDF to the wrong person.
The new feature was first noticed for Android a few weeks ago and with the latest beta it’s rolling out to more people. Once Meta has tested it across a wide array of devices, we will likely see it land for people on the stable version of WhatsApp.
In recent weeks, we have also seen that Meta is testing new chat color themes in the beta releases. That feature doesn’t seem to have filtered down to the stable version yet, so be on the lookout for that too if that’s of interest to you.
