Meta-owned WhatsApp is reportedly working on a new feature that will let Android users scan documents directly from the app using their phone’s camera. According to a report by WABetaInfo, this feature is currently being tested on Android through the beta version 2.25.18.29. Once released, it will allow users to scan and send documents as PDFs without needing any other app.
Under this feature, users will see a new ‘Scan Document’ option in the attachment menu where they normally send files. Selecting it will open the phone’s camera, letting them scan documents in a way similar to how a scanner app works.
Once the document is scanned, WhatsApp will turn it into a PDF file right away. Users can then send the file directly through a chat. Importantly, the scanning tool offers two modes. In manual mode, the user takes the photo by tapping the shutter button. While in automatic mode, the app will detect the document’s edges and capture the image automatically, which makes the process faster and easier.
As per the report, this upcoming document scanning feature operates entirely on-device, using native Android APIs for image capture and processing. Such on-device handling ensures that the scanned files are not uploaded to any external servers or cloud storage by default and are safely stored on the phone itself. The document is only sent through WhatsApp if the user chooses to share it. And once sent, it is protected with WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption, meaning only the sender and receiver can see it. While the feature is currently under development for Android, it is expected to roll out to a wider audience in a future update.
Notably, WhatsApp first introduced the document scanning feature for iPhone users in December 2024. It appeared in version 24.25.80 and was later improved in version 24.25.89. iOS users were among the first to see the ‘Scan Document’ option in the attachment menu.
This comes as, in parallel, the immensely popular messaging platform is also testing several notable AI-powered features, including ‘Summarize with Meta AI‘ (which provides brief overviews of unread messages), ‘Writing Help’ (which suggests improvements for tone and clarity before sending messages), and ‘Message Translation’ (which enables real-time AI-based translation of messages within chats).
Along with such advancements, the messaging platform is also intensifying its efforts around privacy, following global backlash over various issues, including its controversial policy update in the past. Most recently, WhatsApp joined Apple and other privacy advocates in opposing a UK government proposal that would require tech companies to provide a ‘backdoor’ to encrypted data.
Content originally published on The Tech Media – Global technology news, latest gadget news and breaking tech news.
