(Image source from: www.mennow.in)

The instant messaging application WhatsApp has rolled its first major update of the year on the iOs platform.

The update allows users to reply privately in groups, add stickers to photos and videos and preview statuses using 3D touch. The new updates were previously tested on the beta version of the app.

To receive these new features, make sure you have updated to version 2.19.10 of WhatsApp for iPhone.

Here is a look at the new features:

Private Replies on Groups

A WhatsApp user on the group said something mean to you, but you are a bit in doubt to give it back to them in presence of others.

Now, WhatsApp's got a solution for you. Simply long press the message you wish reply and then tap on 'Reply Privately'. This lets you to reply to the corresponding message and the receiver will also be able to see their message you are replying to.

This feature was added on the Android version of the instant messaging platform in December earlier this year.

Add Stickers to Photos, Videos

Whenever editing a video or photo on WhatsApp, users can now add stickers in addition to emojis, text and freehand drawings. To do so, simply tap on the emoji icon and after that scroll down to find stickers. You can move around and resize stickers according to your needs in photos and videos.

Preview Statuses with 3D-Touch

The 3D-Touch feature has been around on iPhones since the iPhone 6S (with the exception of iPhone XR which uses Haptic Touch to provide essentially the same UI).

To take advantage of this, WhatsApp has added a feature that lets you preview a contact's WhatsApp status in the Status tab. You can also mute a status if you wish using the same 3D Touch gesture. To try it out, touch hard on a contact in the Status tab.

-Sowmya Sangam