WhatsApp is making it a snap to react with a double tap

What you need to know

• WhatsApp is apparently adding a quick double-tap reaction feature, similar to Instagram and Messenger.
• Double-tapping a message will automatically add a heart emoji, initially making it a mandatory feature.
• The new double-tap feature aims to speed up reactions, but the long press will still be needed for a wider emoji selection.

WhatsApp is apparently rolling out a new feature that lets users quickly react to messages with a double-tap, similar to Instagram and Facebook Messenger.

Since Meta took over WhatsApp , the app has been gradually woven into Meta's larger social media family. This strategic move has created a more connected and seamless experience for users. The new feature coming up could make messaging even smoother across all these apps.

WABetaInfo discovered the upcoming feature by digging through the latest WhatsApp beta for Android.

Double-tapping a message will automatically add a heart emoji, similar to what other messaging apps do. The report says this feature might be mandatory at first, giving users limited control over its use once it's activated.

Right now, reacting to messages on WhatsApp requires a long press to bring up the reaction menu. From there, users can pick an emoji from a set list or tap the plus icon for more options.

The new feature aims to make expressing emotions quicker with a simple double-tap that sends a heart emoji. While this quick response option makes reacting faster, you'll still need to use the usual long press to open the full reaction menu if you want to use different emojis.

More popular Android messaging apps are adding double-tap reaction features too. Google Messages , for example, introduced this in February , allowing users to quickly give a thumbs-up with a double-tap. This was a big deal because it worked with both RCS and SMS messaging.

Besides the upcoming double-tap reaction, WhatsApp has been spotted working on adding a dedicated reaction button in its media viewer. Located next to the reply button, this new button lets users quickly choose from six preset reactions. If you want more options, there's a plus icon for a wider emoji selection. This feature is currently being tested with some WhatsApp beta users, as per WABetaInfo .

WhatsApp's own double-tap reaction feature for messages is still in development, and it remains unclear when it becomes available to everyone, let alone for beta testing.