Damien Wilde / Android Authority
TL;DR
- WhatsApp could soon add support for a double-tap gesture for reactions, allowing users to quickly react to messages with the heart emoji.
- The feature is currently in development, and it will likely arrive with a future update.
- WhatsApp is also adding a reactions button to its media viewer to let users react to photos and videos without closing the media viewer.
WhatsApp may soon support a new double-tap gesture that will let you quickly react to messages. The gesture is currently in development but could roll out to users with a future update.
WhatsApp’s message reactions feature currently requires you to tap and hold messages to open the reactions pop-up. You can then pick one of the default emoji reactions from the pop-up or select the “+” icon to choose a different reaction.
WABetaInfo reports that WhatsApp may soon add support for a new double-tap gesture to quickly react to messages with the default heart emoji. This implementation will make WhatsApp’s message reactions experience the same as reactions in Instagram DMs, giving users the option to double-tap to quickly react with the heart emoji or press-and-hold to choose a different reaction.
The upcoming double-tap gesture for message reactions was spotted in the latest WhatsApp beta for Android (version 2.24.11.16), but it’s still in development. It will likely reach users with a future update.
Along with the double-tap gesture, WhatsApp is also adding a new reaction button to its media viewer. It will appear next to the reply bar at the bottom of the media viewer UI, and let users choose from one of six default reactions or select the “+” icon to react with a different emoji. This button is already live for some WhatsApp users on the beta channel.
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