Various enhancements have been confirmed as well

Nov 6, 2014 08:23 GMT  ·  By

It’s been less than a week since WhatsApp released a new update for its Windows Phone instant messaging client, which was supposed to bring a handful of new features and improvements.

The previous update added the Share Location feature that allows WhatsApp users to drag and drop a pin on the map to share their location with their friends, as well as the Archive option that provides users with the possibility to archive chats and groups.

A few other new features were included in the update, such as individual chat backgrounds and better support for high-resolution displays, but the firmware wasn’t bug-free.

Many Windows Phone users reported serious issues after updating to that version of WhatsApp, up to the point that some of them could not send messages anymore. Others noted that, after downloading the update, they couldn’t see their friends’ profiles.

Although developers released another minor update supposed to fix these issues only a few hours after the buggy version was uploaded to Windows Phone Store, it appears that not all bugs were addressed in that small update.

This is probably one of the reasons that WhatsApp developers have just released yet another minor build, which is supposed to fix at least some of these problems.

The bad news is that we don’t know for sure which issues the update is targeting, as the official changelog isn’t too specific on the matter.

Hopefully, the new update won't bring more bugs that would require yet another patch

The only things that developers mention are “various enhancements and bug fixes,” which could mean anything. It remains to be seen if WhatsApp’s latest update will address any of the issues described earlier without introducing even more bugs.

If you happen to own a Windows Phone handset and have WhatsApp Messenger installed, then you should check Windows Phone Store for a new version. The latest update bumps WhatsApp to version 2.11.596.0, so if you see that number in the app’s description, then you should download it and hope for the best.

It’s also worth noting that the issues that WhatsApp has been affected by lately are not the only ones that lower the application’s functionality. One of the main downsides of WhatsApp for Windows Phone is the fact that it drains the battery faster than it should.

The bad news is that this issue isn’t consistent and can’t be replicated so easily. Depending on the smartphone and what other apps and phone features you have active on the handset, the battery drain might be more or less obvious.

The bottom line is that WhatsApp has a lot of work to do before bringing the Windows Phone app on par with Android and iOS versions. Hopefully, that will happen sooner rather than later.