Jetpack 4.1 Adds Telegram and WhatsApp Sharing Buttons, Introduces Untappd Menu Shortcode

Jetpack 4.1 was released today with performance improvements that make calls to the database more efficient, reducing what Jetpack does on each page load. Slideshows should load faster now that the Carousel module has been tweaked to no longer load full-size images in the previous and next previews. Using Photon in dev mode has also been improved by cutting out unnecessary attempts to sync images.

New Sharing Buttons for Telegram and WhatsApp

In April, WordPress.com added Telegram and WhatsApp sharing buttons and these have finally made their way into Jetpack’s sharing module. Last year we covered the plugins created by Valerio Souza, which add Telegram and WhatsApp sharing buttons to Jetpack. These are now obsolete and users can remove them in favor of using the new features in Jetpack core. As both Telegram and WhatsApp have desktop apps in addition to the mobile apps, the new sharing buttons work for both types of sharing.

With WhatsApp’s estimated 1 billion users and Telegram’s 100 million, sharing buttons for these services may bring sites more traffic than traditional social networks, especially with users broadcasting to groups. If you use Jetpack’s sharing module, it is a good time to do an inventory of the buttons you display to see which ones are still driving traffic to your site.

New Untappd Shortcode for Embedding Menus

Jetpack 4.1 also introduces a new shortcode for embedding menus from an Untappd venue. Bars and breweries need only provide the Untappd ID for the venue and a Theme ID for the specific menu in order to list all the beers with thumbnail images, descriptions, and star ratings. This is a quick, handy way to display drink offerings without having to update the menu across multiple places on the web.

Jetpack 4.1 offers a new look and improved experience for the Secure Sign On module, which allows users to register and log into their sites using their WordPress.com credentials. This version also improves the recipe shortcodes with more options, adds extra security measures, and adds Photon support for gallery widgets. Check out the full changelog for a list of all the fixes and improvements.