WhatsApp testing AI-powered image editing feature for messenger app

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, March 25, 2024: Last month, WhatsApp introduced the ’search by date’ feature that helps users find old multimedia messages more easily and faster than before.

The Meta-owned company is now testing a new value-added feature, allowing users to edit photos using generative Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered tools, reported WABetaInfo, a WhatsApp community blog.

In the latest Android WhatsApp v2.24.7.13 beta, the messenger app shows a new editing tool (in the top left corner as shown in a screen grab below), while sharing a photo on WhatsApp.

The AI-based photo editing tool offers three options--backdrop, restyle and expand. The first ’backdrop’ option will allow users to alter the background in terms of blur effect or possibly replace it with a different landscape.

With the ’restyle’ option, users can adjust the colour’s tone and brightness of the photo. For instance, the iPhone’s native camera offers five styles-- Standard, Rich Contrast, Vibrant, Warm, and Cool. Users can customise them further by adjusting the tone and warmth values. WhatsApp is expected to offer a similar in-app style option.

With the third ’Expand’ option, users can enlarge or resize photos to ensure the subjects in the frame are visible to the message receiver.

As this is a testing phase, there are chances that WhatsApp may add more editing options, and possibly offer ways to generate images using text prompts.

WhatsApp has yet to fully test and make changes as per feedback from testers and also, to weed out all bugs. It will take a few months to complete all the procedures before the feature gets rolled out to the public through an app update.