There are plenty of apps out there that lets users add filters to their images, but if you’d rather save yourself the trouble of using multiple apps to filter an image before sending it off, you might be interested to learn that it has been discovered in the recent beta of WhatsApp that the company could be testing out built-in photo filters.
The feature showed up in the version 2.17.297 of the WhatsApp beta for Android, but as Android Police notes, the developers were quick to remove the feature in a follow up version 2.17.298. We’re not sure why they removed the feature, but presumably it wasn’t ready for primetime yet.
However based on what is known about the feature while it briefly existed, it is pretty straightforward where users choose the photo they want to send, and then they are presented with filter options. The filters appear on the same image editing screen that lets you add emojis, crop the image, or doodle on them. Once the filter is selected, users can send it off and they’re done.
We’re not sure when WhatsApp plans on rolling out the feature, but as we have seen in the past, it does take a while for features from the beta to become mainstream, so we could be in for a wait.