According to new pictures posted by WABetaInfo, WhatsApp’s ambition to introduce iMessage-style message responses to the enormously popular messaging network is nearing completion.
WhatsApp has been working on message responses – or “Tapbacks” in Apple Messages jargon – for quite some time, with indications of their development first emerging last summer. Also iPhone SE 3 images promise a familiar look while concealing a significant update
The function allows messaging app users to answer to a message quickly and easily (a thumbs-up or thumbs-down in iMessage, for example) without having to type out a longer text-based reply.
Early indications that message responses are on their way to WhatsApp hinted that the functionality and design of the feature had not been fully fleshed out, but the current photos offer users a clearer sense of how they’re going to operate.
WhatsApp users will see a row of emoji just above a message, similar to Facebook Messenger, however it’s not obvious from the images if this is after a lengthy press or the pressing of a new button.
Thumbs up, heart, face with tears of joy, face with open mouth, sobbing face, and folded hands are the six emoji presently available. When you select a reaction, it displays in a smaller profile below the message.
Notably, Facebook Messenger has a + button in its reaction choices to access a complete emoji picker, but this does not show in the WhatsApp screenshots at the moment, and it is unknown whether one will be included in the future.
According to WABetainfo, WhatsApp intends to add message reactions to both iOS and Android, maybe in a next beta before rolling them out to the entire public.
The app specialist also mentions that responses, like communications exchanged on the site, would be end-to-end secured.