NEW YORK: The new WhatsApp 2.12.56 BETA installation file has 40KB less than the previous one because 8 icons have been removed and 270 files have been modified. A few improvements have been made on the new version of the application along with some bug fixes that the developers have found.
It seems that by using the WhatsApp 2.12.56 APK, you will not be able to use the Google Drive feature which allows you to back up all your conversations on a virtual drive. By using Google Drive, you will never lose your WhatsApp conversations, as even if you lose your device or delete all data from your microSD card, you will be able to connect to the internet and download the backup file of your WhatsApp conversations.
In case you want to use the Google Drive feature, you will be able to do it only with the WhatsApp 2.12.45 APK, which can be downloaded from the internet.
Installing WhatsApp 2.12.56 BETA on Android
The latest WhatsApp 2.12.56 BETA APK can be found on the official WhatsApp website (whatsapp.com). To download it, just open the browser that you use on your Android device, head to the website and tap on Download->Android and after that Download Now.
When the download of the APK file completes, you will be able to install the new WhatsApp 2.12.56 version on your Android device. However, in case you don’t have the Unknown Sources option enabled, the installation will not start and you will need to go to Settings->Security or Settings->Application and check the box in front of Unknown Sources to enable it.
When this feature is enabled, install the WhatsApp 2.12.56 APK on your device. However, keep in mind that this version is currently in BETA and that you may find bugs and errors, which will be eventually fixed by the developers when they will release the stable version.