New WhatsApp Update: Testing “Message Reactions” for some users

WABetaInfo reports that WhatsApp is rolling out message reactions to a select group of beta users on Android that will make it easy for users to respond to incoming messages with emojis. The reliable source for upcoming WhatsApp features says that, for now, there are six reactions available in this update, which is on WhatsApp beta for Android 2.22.8.3.

The feature is similar to what you get in other chat apps, such as on Telegram, and the emoji on offer include thumbs up, heart, pray, laughing face, crying face, and surprised face. Animated emojis aren’t available on WhatsApp, but users can still respond to select messages with normal emojis. Simply tap on any chat in the WhatsApp app to open an emoji box, and you’re ready to respond. After that, you may select one of them and WhatsApp will repl\y that message with your emoji.

Emoji reactions are also expected to come in the service’s iOS and PC apps in the near future. WhatsApp’s beta iOS app has featured a “Reaction Notifications” settings toggle since early January, while a similar item debuted earlier this month in the beta desktop app.

WhatsApp has been working on message reactions for some time now. Other messaging services, such as Facebook Messenger and Instagram, as well as competitors like Telegram, Signal, Twitter, and even iMessage, have seen reactions for some time. WATBETAInfo’s leak gives us an idea of how WhatsApp would implement this feature on mobile devices and its desktop version.

WhatsApp has already started testing this feature which is possibly in a limited rollout. And so it won’t be much longer until it rolls out to the general public.