A report by WABetaInfo (via) claims that the feature has been under development for some months. As the name suggests, the feature mimics the experience of the Facebook app wherein users can react to comments or posts with emojis or other characters. The source notes that the feature was inadvertently enabled and then removed with WhatsApp beta v2.21.22.7. WhatsApp is also working on allowing users to manage reaction notifications on the iOS app. The feature is now under development for Android as well. But don’t hold your breath to find this reaching your Android smartphone anytime soon.
There’s currently no ETA for message reaction notifications on WhatsApp
WABetaInfo claims the “feature is planned to be released in a future update,” so it’s up to anybody’s guess as to when it will actually start rolling out to devices. The screenshot shows how users can manage message reaction notifications for group chats or individual text threads. Last month, we learned of another upcoming WhatsApp feature with beta version 2.21.21.6. Known as “Community,” this new addition would complement ‘Groups’ on WhatsApp and not necessarily replace it. A more recent report indicated that Community on WhatsApp would function similar to Discord channels and communities. Moreover, Community admins on WhatsApp can merge other groups under a community. Admins can also invite users to join a community using Community Invite Links on WhatsApp. Unsurprisingly, Community will be end-to-end encrypted on the app, thus offering the same high-end security as groups and individual chats. WhatsApp is currently one of the largest instant messaging apps in the world. But it seems like Meta wants to increase adoption even further, making it more than just an app to send/receive messages or make voice or video calls. Another recent WhatsApp update finally allowed users to pair their accounts on up to four devices. However, tablet support isn’t available yet. But users can continue to use WhatsApp on secondary devices, even if the primary device has no internet access. More WhatsApp features could arrive in the coming weeks. We’ll keep an ear to the ground for any further information on message reaction notifications.
