WhatsApp update finally brings long-needed new feature for Android users

Sending embarassing pictures through the app could soon be a thing of the past

A new WhatsApp update is rolling out for Android users that could save countless embarrassing mistakes.

The world's most popular messaging app currently has a flaw that makes it difficult for users to see who they are sending pictures to.

Whenever a message is sent to a contact, the sender only sees a small icon of the recipient's profile picture, making it easy to accidentally send an image to the wrong person.

The new feature makes it clearer who users are sending pictures to by displaying the name of the contact below the profile picture.

Only WhatsApp users on Android devices - including Samsung, Huawei and Sony smartphone owners - will receive the update, as iPhone users already have the feature included in the latest version of WhatsApp for iOS.

The feature was first spotted by WABetaInfo, which spotted a beta version of the update before it was released more widely.

Users of WhatsApp are still waiting for two of the biggest update's in the messaging app's history, both of which are expected to roll out early next year.

The first is a merger with other messaging services offered by other Facebook-owned apps, including Instagram and Messenger.

It will mean that conversations will carry on seamlessly between people, regardless of which of the apps they are using to communicate.

Facebook confirmed the merger in January, claiming that unifying the underlying messaging infrastructure of the apps will create "the best messaging experiences" for their billions of users.

The second major update will see Facebook's recently announced cryptocurrency Libra introduced to WhatsApp, allowing users to make and receive payments through the app at the touch of a button.

This is expected to launch at some point in 2020, though no specific date has been set.