Sometimes, you want to hide parts of images you share on WhatsApp — be it because they include personal details, addresses, or other sensitive data your chat partner doesn’t necessarily have to see. Of course, there are many ways to achieve this, including cropping (if whatever you want to hide is close to the edges), drawing lines, or even slapping stickers and emoji over sensitive parts. But somehow, the most logical option has been missing up until now. New leaks suggest that the Android app is in for a blur feature, and we now know what it will look like.
The new blur tool has been in the works since WhatsApp beta for Android version 2.22.3.5, according to the folks at WABetaInfo. However, they were only able to get a glimpse of what it will look like in beta version 2.22.7.1. According to their report, the new blur tool will come as part of a completely revamped drawing editor. “It will give users the ideal way to remove details from images before sharing.” You just need to swipe on the parts you wish to blur out as you would with the drawing tool, and WhatsApp will automatically pixelate whatever is behind it.
Interestingly, the ability to blur parts of images has been on WhatsApp for iOS for some time now. There’s no apparent reason as to why it’s been missing from the Android version of the app, but it’s great to see WhatsApp finally bringing it to the Google OS. Speaking of a redesign, the WhatsApp drawing editor will also get two new pencils of different thicknesses, taking the total number to three.
The feature is currently still under development, and there’s no timeline indicating a possible arrival date. Plus, it’s not fully functional, so you’ll likely not be able to use it properly even if you install the beta version. So, interested users will have to wait until it arrives in a working condition to play around with it.