WeChat update! The magical function that we have been waiting for for 5 years is finally online

WeChat's monthly check-in update is here again, and this update brings a lot of useful information. What updates has WeChat made this time? This article makes some comparisons of the specific changes in the new version of WeChat, let's take a look.

Quietly, WeChat completed its monthly check-in update and released the latest version 8.0.34.

The update announcement is the same as in previous issues: no comment, do your own research.

However, one thing that can be clearly felt is that the installation package has become larger, and it has exceeded the 250M mark without any surprise.

According to the current expansion rate, WeChat is expected to achieve the platinum achievement of 300M by the end of the year.

Here’s a little-known fact that 99% of my friends don’t know: WeChat on mobile phones is 1.5 times the size of WeChat on computers.

The computer version is smaller than the mobile version. Don’t you think it’s outrageous? It’s the opposite in the software industry.

Bige carefully studied the latest version of WeChat and found that this update brought a lot of useful information.

Some functions have been deleted, some interfaces have been overhauled, and some practical things have been added, such as finally supporting "chat picture search".

There are quite a lot of changes. Let me tell you one by one about the specific changes in the new version of WeChat.

01

Chat Image Search

Chat picture search started grayscale testing last year, and some European emperors have been trying it out for more than half a year.

The benefit of this function is that it helps us quickly filter "pictures", saving the time of searching through the picture list one by one.

The image search function needs to be enabled manually. The path to enable it is as follows:

Open [Settings] - click [General] - click [Photos, Videos, Files, and Calls] - find the [Chat Picture Search] button and enable it.

Find a friend or group chat at random, enter the chat history, and enter the keyword "mobile phone".

The pictures next to the phone are displayed neatly in chronological order below.

It is equivalent to the APP helping us to do a not-so-accurate image classification and screening.

Remove a large number of irrelevant pictures, leaving only effective information, and dramatically improve picture search efficiency.

After tinkering with it for a while, I found two rules for image search:

1. AI prioritizes capturing images with the same content as the search term. The image below was captured because it contains text that exactly matches the search term.

2. AI prioritizes identifying the shapes of objects in the image and captures all those that meet the search terms.

For common categories of items, such as mobile phones, computers, dogs, etc., the search accuracy is okay, but when it comes to scenery and daily scenes, such as autumn and working, the search accuracy immediately becomes poor.

Overall review: The image search feature comes in handy.

02

Update reminder switch has been deleted

The new version of WeChat has deleted most of the message reminder switches, including Moments, Video Account, Live Broadcast, and Nearby.

The so-called update reminders refer to the small red dots on the entrances to Moments, Video Accounts, etc. on the WeChat Discovery page.

Every time there is a dynamic at the corresponding entrance, a small red dot will appear on the right to remind us: the WeChat business has updated the circle of friends and started to make money again.

Some friends may worry: the switch has disappeared and the update reminder cannot be turned off. Will they be harassed by the little red dot every day in the future? How can people with obsessive-compulsive disorder live?

Everyone can rest assured that after Bigo’s investigation, the switch for update reminders has not disappeared, but has been moved to the discovery page for management.

03

Discovery page management overhaul

The main content of the old version of WeChat's discovery page consists of rows of icons and switch buttons, and there is only one level of page hierarchy.

The new version of WeChat has been greatly revamped. All buttons in the old version have been removed and replaced with secondary cards.

This change can accommodate more options, and we can complete more adjustments on the same page, eliminating the need for frequent jumps.

For example, when we adjust the Moments, we click the corresponding button and a secondary card pops up at the bottom of the screen.

Cards can be used to close Moments and cancel update reminders for Moments.

In the old version of WeChat, there is only a single option to close the Moments. If you want to turn off the Moments reminder, you have to jump to the message notification page several times to complete it.

In terms of convenience, the new version of WeChat is obviously far ahead.

By the way, the update reminders that suddenly disappeared mentioned earlier were actually quietly moved to the secondary cards managed on the discovery page.

04

The long-press function bar of the article has been deleted

It's very strange that the internal test function that Bige had been using normally before was taken offline again after updating to the new version of WeChat.

In the old version of WeChat, open an article at random, long press the screen on the text to bring up the function bar, and enable two internal beta functions: strike through and strike through and forward.

They can save reading progress, extract key content for sharing, and take notes.

However, the latest version of WeChat has cut out two small functions, retaining the most basic copy and search functions.

Bige is puzzled. Of course, the updated version will be kicked out of the gray test list.

It's harmless, they are just little gadgets that are not often used and have zero impact on daily use.

05

Third-party call notification

Apple has been enjoying high-quality features for more than half a year, and Android has finally followed suit.

In the old version of WeChat, when you are making a voice or video call with friends, if a third friend calls you, the default response is to hang up directly.

At the same time, the chat window of the third-party friend shows: The other party is busy, get out of here.

As the parties involved, we were completely unaware of this and had no idea that any other friends had contacted us during the process.

If the other party has something urgent to do, it may cause delays and cause big problems.

The new version of Android WeChat does not have this concern and has added third-party voice call notifications.

If a third-party friend calls during a call, a card will pop up at the top of the screen to notify you, and you can choose to answer or hang up.

At the same time, the WeChat ringtone sounds and the phone vibrates wildly, effectively avoiding the situation where you are in the middle of a chat and don’t know where the outside world is coming from.

The disadvantage is that the ringtone is too loud and hurts my ears. I hope that in the next version of WeChat, the volume of the ringtone for incoming calls from third-party friends will be lowered.

If you choose to answer the call, the current call will be disconnected and connected to the voice of the third friend.

It's a good feature, but unfortunately I have very few friends who can be called friends. My job mainly deals with monitors and keyboards, so I probably won't use it many times in my life.

Well, these are all the changes in this Android WeChat 8.0.34 update.

If you find other changes, please share them in the comments section and let everyone know.

From my personal experience, this version of WeChat is worth updating. It has three advantages:

First of all, it supports image search function, so you no longer have to endure the pain of searching for pictures one by one.

Secondly, the Moments and video account parts of the message reminders are integrated into the discovery management page, which makes it more convenient to set up.

Finally, add a call notification card so you never miss any calls from your friends.

Author: KM