Android smartphone users to soon get this 'iPhone-exclusive' feature on WhatsApp

Android smartphone users, you will soon get a new option to reply in WhatsApp. The instant messaging app WhatsApp is rolling out 'swipe to reply' option to Android smartphone users soon. Already available to Apple iOS users, the features is available in beta to Android users now.

The 'swipe to reply' feature allows users to reply to a message by swiping right.

The upcoming feature has been spotted by WABetaInfo, the Twitter account that tracks changes in WhatsApp’s beta builds. "WhatsApp is rolling out the Swipe to Reply feature on the 2.18.300 Android beta right now!" says a tweet from WABetaInfo. The tweet has a GIF image which shows how the feature will work on Android devices. Currently, Android users tap and long press on a message to reply.

WhatsApp introduces notification media preview, suspicious link alert
Last month, WhatsApp rolled out an update, as part of which the app will now let users see the media file that comes as a part of the message right from the notifications panel. Until now, such notifications showed as camera icon in the notifications area. One needed to open it to see the media file. The previews also show GIFs. To verify if you have received the ‘Notification Extension’ you can ask a friend to send you an image and simply swipe down from the notification to see the preview.

Recently, WhatsApp appointed a grievance officer for India. Komal Lahiri, who is the senior director, global customer operations and localization, WhatsApp Inc. has been roped in to be the grievance officer for India. For a while now the government of India has wanted WhatsApp to have a ‘point of contact’ in the country. Looks like WhatsApp has finally ceded to the request.

WhatsApp is currently working on two features— swipe to reply and a new dark mode. It is yet to be made available on the beta version but a select number of users on the beta build may begin to see the feature.

This was first reported by the WaBetaInfo, which is a reliable source for all the updates that have arrived on WhatsApp or its beta version.

The first update — Swipe to Reply is currently available on iOS and is expected to come on Android. 'Swipe to Reply' is a simple feature which will allow users to swipe messages right to reply followed by a reply action. This a faster method to reply as compared to Android's current method where users have to long press on a message for the reply action to appear. WhatsApp is currently working on it to make it available on Android as well. It is not known if it will be an additional feature along with the long press action or will it replace it.

Second is the Dark Mode update. We have been seeing this feature being introduced on other platforms such as Twitter and YouTube and the mode on WhatsApp isn't any different. (Anyone remembers WhatsApp Plus?)

For those who are unaware, Dark Mode is basically is a mode which turns the platform grey. This is useful if you are using any of these platforms in the dark to avoid any kind of strain on the eyes.
WhatsApp is now focussing on bringing this mode to the instant messaging app.

WhatsApp has brought another update to its beta version from iOS where if you are in a Group, where you can see only the first ten members of the group and for the rest you only see the numbers of members in the group.