WeChat's latest features at a glance! In addition to dark mode, voice-to-text is also more convenient

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The new iOS version of WeChat has more highlights than just the "dark mode". To help you better understand the content of this update, we compared the latest WeChat 7.0.12 for iOS with 7.0.11.

Lazy Directory

1. You can switch to dark mode according to system settings
2. WeChat group adds "Group Tools"
3. It is more convenient to swipe up to text when sending voice
4. Changes in the icon in the mini program
5. Added a new "Artist Homepage" jump button to the entire set of emoticons
6. Long press the expression to adjust the expression pack
7. Moments supports "jump to the position you haven't viewed yet"

1. You can switch to dark mode according to system settings

In this update, the addition of dark mode is the biggest highlight.

After turning on "Dark" or "Auto" in "Settings - Display & Brightness - Appearance" on your iPhone, almost all pages in WeChat, including chats, Moments, video accounts, and WeChat public accounts, will follow the system and turn to dark colors.

A small detail worth mentioning is that if the chat background is set, the background color will be darkened, while the message bubble will still be dark.

However, the various mini-program pages, authorization login page, and "Nearby Restaurants" still have a white background effect and need further adaptation.

2. New "Group Tools" added to WeChat Group

In a WeChat group chat, click the "+" on the right side of the input box, and you will find the "Group Tools" option in the pop-up menu. The tools most recently used in the group and those pinned by the group owner/administrator will be displayed, up to 20 in total. Click any tool to enter and use it.

In this menu, the interface seen by the group owner/group administrator is different from that seen by group members. The former will have an additional "Manage" button. After clicking it, you can select "Top Group Tool". You can pin up to 8 items, and the order can be adjusted to facilitate use by group members.

After pinning a group tool, an additional column "Pinned by Group Administrator" will be added to the "Group Tool" pop-up page, making it easier to find important and valuable information, thereby continuously improving communication and collaboration efficiency.

Along with the "Group Tools" comes the "Group To-Do" function.

In WeChat group chats, group owners/group administrators can set group to-do items in the group to prevent important messages from being missed. There are two main ways to set a group to-do item:

• When the group owner/administrator forwards the mini program to the group, it can be set at the same time;
• When group members forward a mini-program to a WeChat group, a "Set as Group To-Do" option will also appear, which can be set by the group owner/administrator.

After the setting is completed, the group to-do list will form a "strong reminder message" to notify all group members and appear above the input box. The group owner/group administrator can withdraw a group to-do reminder message at any time, while group members need to long press to delete or view it before closing it.

Before group members view the "Group To-Do" message, they can know in real time how many group members have "completed" the view; and when they have finished viewing, the green word "Completed" will be displayed at the corresponding message of "Group To-Do".

Currently, the contents that can be set as group to-do items include: group announcements, official applications, a certain page of the mini program, etc.

3. It is more convenient to swipe up to convert to text when sending voice

The changes in the speech-to-text function are visible to the naked eye.

Previously, users had to swipe up when speaking to trigger the text-to-text function. In the new version, users can simply "press and hold to speak" to trigger the text-to-text function.

If you want to send the original voice, slide your finger and release it to send. If you want to convert the voice to text, swipe right to complete it, and swipe left to cancel sending.

4. Changes to icons in the mini program

There are two main changes to mini programs. First, the "Nearby Mini Programs" and "My Mini Programs" icons have been added to "Discover > Mini Programs".

Second, a "Re-enter the mini program" button has been added to the "..." in the mini program capsule button.

Open any mini program and click the "..." in the pill button. A new option "Re-enter mini program" will be added in the second line of the pop-up window below. After clicking, the mini program will be reloaded and return to the home page.

5. Added a jump button to "Artist's Home Page" for the entire set of emoticons

The emoticon interface has also been slightly updated.

Next to the initial emoji, favorite emoji, and selfie emoji are the entire set of emojis you have collected. Select any entire set of emojis, and you will see the nickname and avatar of the newly added emoji package author in the upper right corner of the pop-up emoji interface. Click to jump to the "Artist Homepage" to view more details.

6. Long press the emoji to adjust the emoji package

There are also new functions for individual emoticons in your collection.

Long press an emoji, and you can make simple settings for a single favorite emoji, and move it to the front of the emoji pack to increase usage and reduce search time. Of course, long press can also delete emoji packs. Long press and then click Delete to provide new space for the emoji pack library that has reached the top.

In the whole emoji package interface, long press a single emoji to call out the "View Album" button. Enter the album and you can perform more operations on the whole emoji package.

It is worth mentioning that if you add a single emoji from the entire emoji package to your favorites, you will not be able to call out the "View Album" button. Instead, like other single emojis, there are only two options: "Move to Front" and "Delete".

7. Moments supports "jump to the position you haven't viewed yet"

There is too much content in the Moments, I forgot where I last saw it.

This time, WeChat 7.0.12 for iOS has a new feature that can help you solve this problem. When you scroll through your Moments, WeChat will give you an option to "jump to the position you haven't viewed yet". Click it to jump to the last Moments you viewed.

Dark Mode is not just about turning black

What is the most eye-catching feature of the updated version? Without a doubt, it is the "dark mode" launched by WeChat on iOS. This mode was first tested internally on Android and is still in the gray test process. In this update, the iOS version fully launched this new mode.

In 2016, we reported that iOS 10 might have a "dark mode", but it was not until last year that it became part of iOS 13. Not only is the pace slow in the Apple ecosystem, but the Android ecosystem is also the same. "Dark mode" is also one of the main features of the latest Android Q system. Google also provided a new night mode option in the Chrome browser last year.

As one of the most anticipated features for users, when will the "dark mode" be available is a question that users have been asking for a long time. On the issue of whether to provide you with the "dark mode", major applications and service providers are very cautious.

First, the "dark mode" is not a simple blackening, or a one-click black filling. As a mode that most people use at night, it needs to use different levels of black and shadows to reflect the sense of hierarchy. It needs a dark mode color palette and sufficient contrast, so 100% black is not enough. In the design of the "dark mode", it takes effort to make it look good.

Second, "dark mode" does have many advantages. In the Android developer documentation, Google has described three advantages of dark mode: improved battery life, improved visibility for people with low vision and those who are sensitive to strong light, and better use of the device in low-light environments. It is not surprising that "dark mode" is popular because it can improve the battery life of mobile phones and make the mobile phone experience in dark environments better.

Third, "dark mode" is a trend. UI designer Ilke Verrelst thinks that "the future is dark". In her opinion, on digital devices, whether it is software or applications, dark mode is bound to be the development trend of design. The fact that iOS 13 and Android Q systems use "dark mode" as the main feature further confirms this point.

WeChat's adaptation to "dark mode" is particularly noteworthy. After all, not all apps are used for five or six hours a day. Even if "dark mode" can improve battery life, the addition of WeChat will make the improvement better. When you reply to a WeChat message before going to bed, its dark interface design will also be more friendly.

In addition, Raymond Sepulveda, a designer from Apple's human-computer interaction team, believes that only apps for reading, browsing or content creation, such as text or code editing, need to enable dark mode for a long time. They can use the high contrast characteristics of black background and white text to keep the user's eyes focused, while most other software does not have a strong demand for dark mode.

Update soon! Come back and tell me what you think of dark mode?