WhatsApp will add double tap message reaction | Infinium-tech

WhatsApp is preparing to introduce a new feature: double tap message reactions. This has been a staple of Instagram DMs for a very long time, and WhatsApp will borrow it from other meta properties.

The feature is currently in testing on Android, arriving with the latest beta build. To use it, you’ll need to be on WhatsApp’s beta channel for Android, which you can join on its Play Store listing – that is, if there’s a slot available, because sometimes there isn’t.

As the name suggests, this new feature lets you add a quick reaction to any message by double-tapping it. You can react to photos, videos, and GIFs directly from the media viewer screen, saving you milliseconds each time you do so. And double-tapping a message to react also saves you a few nanoseconds, which is the time needed to first long-press and then choose your reaction.

Double tapping will react with a heart emoji, just like Instagram. If you want to react with another emoji, you need to long press on the emoji you are reacting to to bring up the reaction tray and choose from it.

Interestingly, there will be no way to disable this double tap to react feature, and this could prove to be troublesome for some users who may accidentally react to old messages this way while scrolling through their chat history.

Now that it’s in beta, it’s expected to be made available to everyone in the coming weeks or months.

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