New symbol on WhatsApp: Hourglass replaces circle – that’s what it means

• If you download large files from WhatsApp, an hourglass now indicates the progress.
• Previously this was visualized by a circle.
• WhatsApp also shows the expected remaining duration.

The messenger WhatsApp has one more symbol with the hourglass. However, you will probably only see them rarely. Because it only appears if the download of files, images or videos in a chat takes longer due to the file size.

Previously, WhatsApp symbolized the download progress with a circle that slowly filled up. Sand is now trickling down the hourglass. In addition, you will now also find a countdown in text form that shows how many minutes or seconds the download is expected to take.

Hourglass symbolizes download progress

In addition to the hourglass, the clock is used in various shapes as a symbol for other things on WhatsApp. For example, a stopwatch next to a message indicates that it has not yet been sent, which could be due to problems with the internet connection. On a profile picture, however, the small stopwatch means that expiring messages have been activated for this chat.

The hourglass isn’t the only new icon in Messenger right now. With the heart in the phone tab and the two arrows for calls, two more new symbols will soon be added to the messenger. Currently they can only be found in the beta version of WhatsApp. In the linked articles we tell you what they mean. The pin is already available in Messenger.

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