Phone calls disappeared in 2010, giving way to text messages. The social media app then spelled the death of texting and human interaction. Emojis, more specifically, are used as a substitute for meaningful conversations in messaging apps, but that’s just the latest way to pull us even further. Whatever this will lead to the inevitable downfall of society, we all agree that the message response in WhatsApp couldn’t have come sooner. Messaging apps like Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and even Google’s recently implemented RCS feature seamless message responses. Let’s see how WhatsApp’s message reactions work, and how you can (maybe) try it yourself.
ANDROIDPOLICE video of the day
Who can use WhatsApp message reactions?
Currently, Meta only allows selected WhatsApp beta testers to access the message reaction feature. The beta program is currently closed (though you can keep an eye out for the beta program on the Google Play Store page), but if you’re already a WhatsApp beta tester, you should download WhatsApp Beta version 2.22.8.3 for Android from the Play Store or APKMirror. Even if you’re a beta tester, the response is a limited rollout, so you may still not be able to use the feature.
How do you react to messages in WhatsApp?
WhatsApp head Will Cathcart confirmed the reaction in a video on Twitter and the WhatsApp blog. Long-time users of other Meta messaging services or almost any other major messaging platform will find the message response intuitive. If you’re new to Facebook Messenger or Instagram’s messaging interface, reacting to messages is easy—just follow these steps:
- Open the chat with the message you want to reply to.
- Press and hold a message you receive and want to react to.
- A popup will appear with 6 emojis that you can use to react.
- Select one of the 6 emojis in the popup to use it as a reaction.
- Your message reaction will appear below the message you selected earlier.
At launch, there were only 6 emojis available, but when the feature launches, WhatsApp will add support for all the emojis and skin tones you can normally use in messages.
According to WABetaInfo, WhatsApp is also beta testing a feature to enable or disable notifications for reactions to messages you send.Below you can find the react notification toggle Settings -> Notifications as a toggle called React to notifications.
Below you can see Will Cathcart’s tweet and video confirming and demonstrating WhatsApp message reactions:
https://twitter.com/wcathcart/status/1514620654204596226
Message reactions in WhatsApp are an easy way to remove the unnecessary clutter caused by the current use of emoji as reactions to messages – we’ve all been in these group chats and received back-to-back notification alerts because the whole group thinks you Aunt’s cat is the cutest thing around.
If you’re not one of the lucky few for WhatsApp message notifications, don’t despair. Get a head start with Google Messages emoji!
As mentioned, the message reaction is still being beta tested by selected beta testers, so you may not have seen it yet. This article will be updated as the feature is developed and released to the public.
Nearby Sharing now lets you move files easily across all Android devices
Read next
About the author