WhatsApp to introduce new 'reaction' feature

WhatsApp is preparing to launch 'Reaction feature' that will enable users to instantly send emojis to single messages by just tapping and holding the message. Until now, a user had to type an emoji to react to a message.  

“We’re excited to share that emoji reactions are now available on the latest version of the app. Reactions are fun, fast, and they reduce overload in groups too. We’ll continue improving them by adding an even broader range of expressions in the future,” WhatsApp said in its official blog. 

The latest updates on WhatsApp come nearly a fortnight after the Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced this new feature on his official Facebook account. He maintained that the messenger will be including more 'expressions' to help with thanks and appreciation. 

"Reactions on WhatsApp start rolling out today. We're including [hands joined emoji] to help spread thanks and appreciation. More expressions coming soon," Zuckerberg wrote on Facebook. 

Furthermore, WhatsApp has also announced that its users can now send files, which are protected by end-to-end encryption, of up to 2 Gigabytes in size. This is a huge jump from the previous threshold of 100 Megabytes (MB). It has also revealed that it is exploring a group of up to 512 people on its platform, which is much higher than the previous number of 256. 

“We recommend using Wi-Fi for larger files and we’ll display a counter while uploading or downloading to let you know how long your transfer will take , the blog read.

“Building private, safe, and secure communities takes work and we think this series of improvements will help people and groups stay close to one another," it added.

Nearly a month back, WhatsApp announced that it will be introducing numerous features for its users such as 'Community', and changes in 'voice call'.  In mid-April, it came up with a voice call feature in which it allowed up to 30 participants in a single voice call. Earlier, the platform allowed only up to eight people in a single voice call.