WhatsApp adds animated confetti emoji reactions for New Year
WhatsApp is bringing a fun new feature to its app just in time for New Year celebrations. The latest update for WhatsApp beta users arrives with version 2.24.24.17, which introduces animated confetti reactions for certain emojis.
At the moment, the animated confetti emoji reactions are available to some WhatsApp beta testers on Android. It will likely be rolled out to everyone in the coming week with the stable update, obviously, ahead of the new year.
The fresh beta update adds a playful twist to your reactions. When you use the Party Popper, Partying Face, or Confetti Ball emojis to react to a message, colorful confetti will burst out of the emoji to create a lively and celebratory animation.
The confetti animation is powered by Lottie, a framework that helps create smooth and high-quality animations. This ensures the effects don’t slow down the app or use too much memory to make it run smoothly without affecting performance.
The new feature is perfect for marking moments of joy or sharing the excitement of the holiday season. If you’re a beta tester, you can try it out by reacting to a message with one of the festive emojis and watching the confetti burst to life.
WhatsApp introduces camera and gallery shortcuts in chat bar
WhatsApp has pushed a new beta update with version 2.24.26.6 for Android users via the Google Play Beta Program. This update makes it easier to reply to voice messages with just a tap to save time and improve the chat experience.
The new feature adds a quick reply button for voice messages. When you listen to a voice note, you’ll see a button that allows you to immediately record and send your reply.
It means you no longer need to swipe or tap the “reply” option as you did before. With just one tap, you can respond directly to keep the conversation flowing smoothly.
This new quick voice reply feature is similar to a feature WhatsApp introduced earlier for video messages. Users could reply to video messages with a simple tap, without any extra steps.
Now, with this new update, WhatsApp is adding the same feature for voice messages. It makes replying to voice messages quicker and easier than ever.
The quick reply feature is currently available to limited users who are testing the WhatsApp Beta program with the latest version. It is being rolled out gradually, so more people will be able to try it over the next few weeks. If you’re a beta tester, you can update your app through the Google Play Store to access this new feature.
WhatsApp is testing a new feature for group chats in its latest beta update. Identified via version 2.24.25.30 available through the Google Play Beta Program, the WhatsApp beta update adds an online counter feature.
The new online counter appears at the top of group chats to show how many people in the group have WhatsApp open and are online. This replaces the old feature that showed a summary of who was typing or recording a message.
Now, you can quickly see how many members are active in the group at any moment. This feature helps you to understand when it might be a good time to send a message or start a conversation.
Notably, the online counter only includes members who haven’t turned off their online status option in their privacy settings. If a user has hidden their online status, they won’t be counted, which ensures their privacy.
This feature can be especially useful in busy groups, as it lets you know when most people are online. Currently, the online counter is available to some beta testers, and it will gradually be rolled out to more users in the coming weeks.
WhatsApp Beta helps you never forget unread messages from important contacts
WhatsApp has released a fresh beta update with version 2.24.25.29, which brings a reminder notification feature for unread chat messages. This new beta update is available for Android via the Google Play Beta Program.
Previously, WhatsApp only sent reminders for status updates from specific contacts, mainly those you interact with the most. With the new update, WhatsApp is expanding this feature to remind you about unread chat messages from your most frequent contacts.
These reminders are sent for messages from people you chat with the most. If you leave a message unread, WhatsApp will notify you to make sure you don’t forget to reply.
Notably, the app uses an internal algorithm to choose these contacts based on how often you interact with them. However, if you reinstall the app, this data will be reset, as it’s not saved in backups or on WhatsApp’s servers.
Once this feature is activated, WhatsApp will remind you about any unread messages from important contacts. WhatsApp also makes sure the reminders are relevant and helpful without being annoying.
This feature is currently available to limited beta testers who have installed the latest version of WhatsApp Beta for Android. WhatsApp also plans to roll it out to more users.
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