Politics
Surprise WhatsApp leak reveals chat app is about to copy Facebook feature
WHATSAPP looks set to borrow one of Facebook’s most iconic features.
A new leak reveals that WhatsApp is working on message reactions.
WABetaInfo / WhatsAppWhatsApp is working on message reactions[/caption]
WABetaInfo / WhatsAppYou’ll be able to reply to individual messages with emoji reactions, just like on Facebook[/caption]
Anyone who has used Facebook will be familiar with these.
You’ll be able to react to individual WhatsApp messages with a selection of six emoji.
The leak comes via the highly reputable WABetaInfo, a tech blog that specialises in mining WhatsApp for upcoming features.
There are six smileys to choose from, including “thumbs up”, “heart”, and “laughing with tears”.
There’s also a shocked emoji, a crying face and a prayer or high-five emoji, depending on who you ask.
The feature was actually leaked by WABetaInfo earlier this year as being in the works.
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But now more evidence of the emoji system that will be used has turned up in the app.
It’s a slight change from the selection of Facebook emoji that you would see on posts.
On Facebook proper, the reactions include Like, Love, Haha, Wow, Sad and Angry.
It appears that it will only be possible to react to a message once – rather than with multiple emoji.
“Everyone will be able to see who reacted to a message since reactions are not anonymous,” WABetaInfo explained.
“All reactions are listed in the first tab called ‘All’, then WhatsApp Groups who reacted to a message using a specific emoji, in a separate tab.”
The feature is currently being built in the WhatsApp iPhone beta, but it’s also coming to the Android beta.
Sadly, it’s still unclear exactly when the message reactions will roll out to the wider public.
New WhatsApp features can be developed for weeks or months before landing on the general release version of the app.
And it’s entirely possible that WhatsApp could be disappointed with results during testing, and then scrap the feature entirely.
If you want to try the new feature first, it’s best to install the WhatsApp beta.
How to get WhatsApp beta
To download WhatsApp beta for your smartphone you need to go to Google Play on your Android and search for WhatsApp.
Scroll down the page until you see “Become a Beta Tester”.
Tap the “I’m In” button and then click “Join” to confirm.
Now all you have to do is wait for the update to the beta version of the app.
WhatsApp Beta can also be downloaded on a computer via the Google Play site.
Downloading WhatsApp beta on iOS is a much trickier and riskier process so this is not recommended.
If you want to do it, head here.
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