WhatsApp rival just made this popular app look massively inferior

With over 1.5 billion users across the planet, WhatsApp continues to be the biggest messaging service in the world.

The Facebook-owned service is now used to send over 65 billion messages, 100 million voice calls and 55 million video calls made every single day.

With its simplicity, regular updates and ability to be used on both iOS and Android it’s not surprising why its such a huge success.

However, a recent update from a major rival app could have fans wondering if it’s time to make the switch to something new.

Telegram, which now over 200 million fans using it, has just announced a swathe of new features which will offer numerous improvements to the way people send and receive their messages.

Perhaps the biggest and best of the bunch is the option to send a note without a sound.

This will allow you to ping over a messaging knowing it won’t disturb the person receiving the note even if they’ve forgotten to switch off their noisy notifications.

To use this feature, Telegram fans can simply hold the “Send” button with the option for it to be delivered without audio then appearing.

This setting also works in groups, should you get an urgent idea at five in the morning – but not urgent enough to wake up everyone in your work chat.

Along with muted messages, there’s a number of other upgrades which include a Slow Mode which limits the number of times someone can post in group chat.

Telegram says this “Slow Mode” can make conversations in the group more orderly while raising the value of each individual message.

If you love using Night Mode on the iPhone, this update now lets you choose accent colours for night themes and both iOS and Android users get the option to add animated emojis.

Finally, there’s a nice option when sending a movie to friends via the service.

Videos now display thumbnail previews as you scrub through the clip to help you find the moment you were looking for.

If you then add a timestamp like 0:45 to a video caption, it will be automatically highlighted as a link.

Tapping on a timestamp will play the video from the right spot. This also works if you mention a timestamp when replying to a video.

All of these features should be available in the Telegram app right now and you can find full details about what’s to come via Telegram’s blog post.

HERE’S THE FULL LIST OF TELEGRAMS NEW FEATURES

Silent Messages • Simply hold the Send button to have any message or media delivered without sound.

Slow Mode • When an admin enables Slow Mode in a group, you will only be able to send one message per the interval they choose. A timer will show how long you have to wait before sending your next message.

Admin Titles • If new time-lord powers aren’t enough, group owners can now set custom titles for admins like ‘Meme Queen’, ‘Spam Hammer’ or ‘El Duderino’.

Timestamps and Improved Scrubbing • Videos now display thumbnail previews as you scrub through, to help you find the moment you were looking for.

Animated Emoji 

Android’s New Attachment Menu • Android’s attachment menu got a makeover, giving media more real estate. Larger thumbnails make it easier to pick photos and videos at a glance, and swiping up will reveal your full Gallery for better browsing.

Accent Colors for Night Mode on iOS • Apple users can now choose accent colours for night themes. The night doesn’t always have to be black and blue, after all.

source: express.co.uk