Subtle facelift planned for WhatsApp on iOS

Sep 6, 2021 13:33 GMT  ·  By

WhatsApp is working on all kinds of improvements for its mobile apps, and after rolling out the chat migration feature, allowing users to transfer conversations from iPhone to Android, the company is now focusing on what appears to be a very subtle facelift for the iOS client.

More specifically, WABetaInfo has discovered that WhatsApp is testing a small pack of improvements on iPhone, and this includes larger image and links preview, as well as a minor overhaul for the chat bubbles we see on our devices.

The new look uses rounded corners, and to be honest, I wouldn’t necessarily be surprised if some people don’t even notice there’s something new given how subtle the changes really are.

Reactions in WhatsApp apps

At the same time, WhatsApp is also working on reactions for messages sent on the platform, with the company planning to allow users to access any emoji in the collection as part of this feature.

Message reactions, however, will be public, and just like on Microsoft Teams, for example, all the other participants in a chat will be able to see others’ reactions with a simple tap.

At this point, it’s not yet known when the new features are projected to go live for users out there, but in the case of the reactions, we’re probably still far from the moment they are supposed to launch.

In the meantime, what is more interesting to see at work is the feature that allows users to transfer their chats from Android devices to iPhones. As I said earlier, the tool to move from iPhone to Android has already been released, but many are also waiting for the feature to work the other way around, especially given Tim Cook praises the number of users jumping the fence over to iOS with every single occasion.