After Facebook Messenger and Instagram, WhatsApp is gearing up for backlash.
Instant messaging services have changed a lot over the years, although the basic features have apparently remained the same. One of the biggest changes Facebook made a few years ago was giving users the ability to react to posts through predefined reactions. So instead of just liking a post, it became possible to react with laughing emoji, sad emoji, heart emoji, etc. The idea was to be able to convey an emotion in relation to certain content without having to textualize the thing.
After Facebook Messenger and Instagram,
This feature also made things a little less weird. When someone posted sad messages, only the “Like”option remained to show that they agreed with the post. Indeed, strange. Sometimes creepy. Today, it looks like Meta is getting ready to integrate this Facebook functionality into its WhatsApp app. As WABetaInfo has discovered, the latest beta version will contain various signs in the source code that clearly indicate the company’s plans: users will soon be able to respond to messages.
Whatsapp is preparing for the arrival of the reaction
This way, instead of replying to messages sent to you with OK or LOL, users will be able to reply easily and quickly, as they do today on Facebook posts. Many other instant messaging services already have this feature, such as Facebook Messenger and Instagram, two services that are owned by Meta, by the way. Therefore, it is not surprising that this feature is preparing to appear in WhatsApp.
At the same time, no one knows yet when the reactions will be available to all users. However, if this feature is currently in beta, it shouldn’t be too late to roll out to the general public. A little more patience.