WhatsApp has just submitted a new update through the TestFlight beta Program, bringing the version up to 23.15.1.71. The version marked within WhatsApp Settings is 2.23.15.71 and the TestFlight build is 23.15.1 (497978377).
What’s new in this update? WhatsApp is widely rolling out a message reaction feature for community announcement groups, and it’s available to more users today!
| Common questions | Answers |
|---|---|
| Name of the feature? | Message reactions – community announcement group |
| Status? | Rolling out |
| Availability? | WhatsApp beta for iOS 23.15.1.71 is marked as a compatible update, but some users may also get this feature by installing one of the following beta builds: 23.14.1.78 and 23.15.1.70. |
| I have the same version but I don’t have this feature, why? | This feature may still be available to some users, but it is rolling out to more people over the coming days. |
| Thanks: | _Youssef, for testing and reporting! |
| Previous news? | WhatsApp is rolling out channels to additional countries starting today! |
845 days, 14 hours, 30 minutes and 24 seconds ago
Check out TestFlight or Twitter to discover when it's available.
MESSAGE REACTIONS
In the article about the WhatsApp beta for iOS 23.14.0.70 update, we announced a new phone number privacy feature. With this new option, WhatsApp provides community members with some information regarding when their phone numbers are hidden. Along with the phone number privacy feature, WhatsApp was also introducing the ability to react to messages within community announcement groups to a limited number of beta testers. With the latest WhatsApp beta for iOS 23.15.1.71 update, which is available on the TestFlight app, WhatsApp is widely rolling out this feature to more beta testers today!
As you can see in the attached screenshot, you may be able to react to messages shared in a community announcement group after updating the app to the latest beta version. Thanks to the phone number privacy option, your phone number is secured as it is hidden when adding a reaction to a message. This feature is also widely rolling out to more beta testers that install the WhatsApp beta for Android 2.23.15.13 update from the Google Play Store.
As we explained in the article about the Android update, this feature may be unavailable in large communities. In certain cases, users won’t be able to react to messages in community announcement groups with over 1024 participants, even if they have access to the feature. This seems a temporary limitation that will be addressed in the future. In case you want to test this feature, we suggest trying to add a reaction to a message shared in a community announcement group with less than 1024 community members. Note that this update should also bring certain fixes for those bugs responsible for the crashes of the app in the previous version.
The message reaction feature for community announcement groups is rolling out to more people that install the latest update of WhatsApp beta for iOS from the TestFlight app, and it is rolling out to additional users over the coming days.
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