WhatsApp planning an update so simple, I can't believe it isn't possible already

Have you ever seen a tech firm launch a new feature and thought, "doesn't it do that already?" I get it a lot, and that's the case with the latest addition to WhatsApp.

A leak from WABetaInfo suggests that the app is about to improve your options for reacting to messages and media files by enabling you to use stickers.

I thought it did that already, but I'm clearly mixing up my messaging apps.

The feature's a useful one, because the current reaction responses are very limited. In the not too distant future, you should be able to use a much larger range of responses to make your reactions more personal.

How WhatsApp will improve your reactions

At the moment, WhatsApp's reaction pop-up is a little panel of basic emoji, including a heart, a thumbs-up and so on, plus any emoji you've used recently. But according to WABetaInfo, you should soon be able to add stickers too. It could work much like the sticker responses in Apple's Messages app.

According to the report, the feature is currently in testing and was discovered in the latest Android beta, but when it rolls out you'll be able to react using stickers from the sticker keyboard.

That means you'll have access to all the stickers downloaded from the official WhatsApp Sticker Store, and WABetaInfo says you'll also be able to use third-party stickers provided by external apps as well as stickers you've saved to your device.

Those stickers won't necessarily be static: the feature supports stickers made with the Lottie Framework, which is designed to deliver smooth animation without big file sizes. That means you should be able to respond in much more expressive ways than just flat emoji.

We don't yet know when the feature will roll out, but if it's in the beta it's clearly in a fairly advanced stage of testing. That means it shouldn't take too long to arrive.