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      • Voice Input and One-Click WhatsApp

      Release date: September 21, 2026

      The September update is here. Shoppers can now speak their question, and you can connect a new WhatsApp number to HeiChat in a few steps. This round also adds AI progress stages, a personalization switch, and a set of product search and video improvements.

      Voice input: confirm before it sends

      Some questions are easier to say than to type, especially on a phone. The chat input can now show a microphone. After a shopper speaks, they see the transcript and confirm it before it sends. A bad transcription never becomes a sent message.

      • Available in the open chat window. When New UI (2.0) and the Chatbar entry style are both enabled, the Chatbar input on the page can use it too.
      • Desktop and mobile are configured separately. Off by default.
      • Speech recognition comes from the shopper's own browser. Chrome, Edge, and Safari support it. Firefox does not, and the microphone button does not appear there.

      Turn it on per device under Setup > Widget Settings > Appearance.

      WhatsApp: connect a new number in a few steps

      A new WhatsApp Business number can now be connected through OAuth, without working through the Meta developer console by hand. Once it is linked, messages sent to that number are answered by the same AI, using the same knowledge base and order lookups as your storefront chat.

      • Multiple numbers can be connected. Each one can be enabled, disabled, or deleted on its own, and you can refresh the connection status at any time.
      • Available on Pro Plus and above, under Settings > Integrations > WhatsApp OAuth.
      • This flow is for connecting a new number. For a number you already have, keep using WhatsApp integration.
      • Messages still consume HeiChat credits. WhatsApp conversation fees are charged separately.

      See Connect a new WhatsApp number with OAuth for the setup steps.

      Move to New UI (2.0)

      New UI (2.0) received a series of improvements this round, with stronger features and a smoother interaction. The Chatbar entry, the richer chat window, and every feature shipped this month are built on 2.0.

      If your store is still on Classic UI (1.0), we recommend switching. 1.0 remains available and maintained, but it no longer receives new features.

      Switch under Setup > Widget Settings > Appearance > Chat UI Version.

      Also in this round

      AI progress stages. While a reply is being prepared, shoppers can see which step the AI is on: Analyzing, Searching for information, Looking up products, Checking your order, Processing your ticket, and Thinking. Slower questions, such as product comparisons and order lookups, no longer sit behind a row of dots. On by default. Turn it off under Setup > Advanced Settings > AI Response. Stages appear only with the Chatbar entry style. Other entry styles still show the standard typing indicator.

      AI personalization can be turned off. The AI can use what a visitor did on your store before opening chat — what they searched for, which products they viewed or added to cart, which help articles they read, which orders they looked up, and how they answered a quiz. That behavior now has an explicit switch. Turn it off, and the AI answers from the current question alone. Personalized cross-sell in Product Search stops as well. These signals are collected in the shopper's browser and only travel with a chat message, so a visitor who never starts a conversation sends nothing. On by default, in the same place as above.

      Three quick actions in product search. Products in the Product Search Widget can now be asked about, compared, or used to find related items. Shoppers do not have to describe what they are looking at. The first message already includes that product. Configure it under Setup > Widget Settings > Feature Widgets > Product Search Widget.

      Videos on recommendation cards. You can attach up to 5 videos to any product. When the AI recommends that product, the card shows a play button. Direct video files are supported, along with YouTube, Vimeo, TikTok, Dailymotion, and Bilibili links. Unrecognized URLs can still be saved, with a warning that they may not play. Useful for product promos, feature walkthroughs, installation videos, and tutorials. Add them from your Learned Products list.

      The video popup no longer interrupts the page. Video Popup is now a small button that stays out of the way. Visitors open the player when they are interested, and can switch between several videos. Each video can be bound to multiple product cards. The button sits next to the chat launcher by default, with a gap so the two do not overlap. You can still position it manually. Configure it under Setup > Widget Settings > Feature Widgets > Video Popup.