WhatsApp for Android gets custom notifications, low-data mode for voice calls

The WhatsApp Android app recently went through a succession of no less than five updates as the developers brought forward several new features. The fifth and most recent update to WhatsApp for Android bears version number v2.12.194.

Probably the most interesting feature that these recent updates brought to WhatsApp for Android is the ability to customize the notification sounds for individual contacts or group conversations. By selecting different sounds for different contacts, WhatsApp users will now able to recognize the sender of the message even before unlocking the smartphone. If you chat a lot on WhatsApp but need to pay special attention to a specific conversation, this feature could prove to be very useful.

To customize the notification sounds for a certain contact, open its detail page and to find the new Notification box. Here you'll be able to customize the notification style, mute notifications for a time, or turn off notifications altogether. Digging a little deeper, you'll be able to set specific notification tones, or even tune the vibration length and the notification light.

The new updates also bring the ability to mark conversations as unread, although this will only take effect in your app, and the message will still show up as read to the other participants in a conversation.

The new features also include a few new setting options. One particularly interesting addition is a new low data mode for voice calls, one that, as the name suggests, will put voice calls on a data diet, a feature that will be surely welcomed in emerging markets where mobile data is still expensive.

The updates will roll out to Play Store servers over the upcoming days. Once your WhatsApp for Android app gets updated to version v2.12.194, make sure to drop by and let us know what you make of the new features!