WhatsApp is rolling out a new update through the Google Play Beta Program, bringing the version up to 2.23.20.20.
What’s new in this update? WhatsApp is rolling out a new reply bar feature to quickly reply to images, videos, and GIFs, and it’s available to some beta testers!
| Common questions | Answers |
|---|---|
| Name of the feature? | Reply bar |
| Status? | Rolling out |
| Compatibility? | WhatsApp beta for Android 2.23.20.20 is marked as a compatible update, but some users may be able to get the same feature by installing the previous 2.23.20.18 update. |
| I’ve installed this update but I don’t have this feature. Why? | This feature is available to some beta testers, and it’s rolling out to even more people over the coming days. |
| Thanks: | Swakshan, for collaborating, testing, and reporting! In addition, thanks to kingcyrious for testing and reporting. |
| Previous news? | WhatsApp beta for iOS 23.20.1.70: what’s new? WhatsApp is rolling out a feature to create and share AI stickers! |
REPLY BAR
WhatsApp is constantly working on introducing new features to enhance the user experience and by bringing certain shortcuts to allow people to use the app more efficiently. After releasing a shortcut to quickly add new participants to a group call with the WhatsApp beta for Android 2.23.17.16 update, we discovered that WhatsApp is now rolling out another useful feature to some beta testers to help them quickly reply to images, videos, and GIFs!
As you can see in this screenshot, a new reply bar is available when viewing images or videos in a conversation after installing the latest WhatsApp beta for Android 2.23.20.20 update from the Google Play Store. If you want to check if the reply bar is available for your WhatsApp account, just open any image, video, or GIF, and the reply bar should show up. If it doesn’t appear,we suggest tapping the screen once.
In our opinion, implementing a reply bar when viewing images and videos in WhatsApp offers two important advantages, particularly in terms of speed. Specifically, the new reply bar allows users to quickly respond to specific media within a chat without dismissing the current screen, making it easier to maintain the flow of conversation and not to lose the context of the shared content. In addition, since the reply bar is also available when opening images, videos, and GIFs, within the media screen in the chat info section, we think that this feature significantly enhances the user experience by avoiding unnecessary interruptions.
The reply to media feature is available to some beta testers who install the latest update of WhatsApp beta for Android from the Google Play Store, and it’s rolling out to more people over the coming days.
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