WhatsApp to introduce in-app document scanning feature on android

WhatsApp is reportedly developing a built-in document scanner for Android users, bringing the functionality already available on iOS to a wider audience.

According to feature tracker WABetaInfo, the feature was recently spotted in development within the latest beta version of WhatsApp for Android (v2.25.18.29).

However, it has not yet been enabled for beta testers.

Once released, the document scanning feature will appear under the “Documents” attachment menu, positioned alongside the “Browse documents” and “Choose from gallery” options. Tapping the new “Scan document” button is expected to open the camera interface, allowing users to either manually scan documents or let WhatsApp automatically detect and capture the document.

After scanning, WhatsApp will compile the pages into a PDF file. Users will then be able to send the file to others through the app, forward it to themselves, or save it locally and share via other apps.

This feature has been available on WhatsApp for iOS for some time, allowing users to scan and send documents directly from the app.

Android users have had to rely on alternatives like Google Drive’s built-in scanning tool, which is pre-installed on most Android phones. That will continue to be an option until WhatsApp rolls out its native scanner on Android.

In addition to document scanning, WhatsApp recently began experimenting with artificial intelligence-powered message summaries on Android. Beta users running version 2.25.18.18 or newer may see a “Summarise with Meta AI” button in chats with a certain number of unread messages. This feature uses Meta’s Private Processing system to generate summaries while aiming to maintain user privacy.

However, the summarisation tool is disabled for chats where users have activated Advanced Chat Protection, according to the feature tracker.