WhatsApp new update set to bring in time-saving Instagram feature

WhatsApp has revealed a new Quick Reactions feature that will be identical to the one currently used on Instagram. 

As spotted by WeBetaInfo, the US messaging platform is now confirmed that Quick Reactions is now under development and will roll out in a future new update. This will allow users to swiftly send an emoji when viewing a message on WhatsApp instead of having to send a full message to reply. It has proven popular across many social media platforms for its time-saving use. 

It's expected that eight new emojis will be available to use as reactions, including: Smiling Face with Heart-Eyes, Face with Tears of Joy, Face with Open Mouth, Crying Face, Folded Hands, Clapping Hands, Party Popper, and Hundred Points.

Note: WhatsApp and Instagram are both owned by Meta (Facebook). The name was introduced in October 2021 to group all of the company's apps and tech under one roof. 

WhatsApp has the use of an emoji option but no way to send an emoji in quick succession unless used frequently or recently. Once the emoji is selected it's believed that it will be sent to the main chat as opposed to clipping onto the message sent, as Twitter and Messenger do for instance. 

The WhatsApp quick reaction feature will become available once it has gone through beta testing, though that was not given a release date either. This news follows Meta CEO Mark Zuckerburg's announcement that a WhatsApp communities update is also in the works, similar to what is available on Facebook now.  

It's estimated that over two billion people use WhatsApp globally and yet many will not be aware about these hidden features that you need to try. More recently, WhatsApp rolled out an update that makes voice messaging a lot better for regular use with the inclusion of two new handy features.