It’s been a long time since WhatsApp was first reported to be working on message reactions. While some social media apps like Instagram and Messenger already have the feature, an instant messaging app called Telegram also released the feature recently. Nevertheless, the message reaction feature has recently been spotted on WhatsApp Desktop. Keep reading to learn more about the new reaction button and other details.
According to WABetaInfo, WhatsApp is working on the Message Reaction feature for the desktop version of its app. The post shared a screenshot where a WhatsApp message can be seen sent from the desktop version, along with six emojis on it in what looks like the message reaction options pane. Although it is already known, the screenshot reveals a new reaction button located on the left side of a message, where the forward message option is currently present.
Spotted Message Reactions for WhatsApp Desktop
The post also mentions that the reaction button is not always visible. It appears when a user places the mouse cursor near the message. When this button is pressed, the emoji options for a reaction appear and users can select one to quickly share their sentiment on a particular post. The feature has not been released for desktop beta testers and is still under development.
Image: WABetaInfo
In a related update, WhatsApp is also testing a new feature on Android devices. The feature is called Document Preview. As the name suggests, the feature will allow Android users to preview an image or video sent as documents. Until now, WhatsApp only allowed previews for PDF-type files. Any image or video shared on the platform as a document was not displaying with a preview. The feature was spotted by WABetaInfo which says the feature will be rolling out as part of upcoming updates.
The preview feature allows users to get an idea of the content before opening it. This can be very useful for users who share full size images as WhatsApp documents. The unavailability of the preview makes it difficult for such users to differentiate and open the required image. Meanwhile, WhatsApp has also been reported to reduce the compression it applies on video and images shared directly through users’ galley on the platform.
