WhatsApp is testing a contextual chat preview for Android

WhatsApp is finally working on a new feature that will let users preview a chat without opening it. With this feature, users will be able to read the latest messages in the preview without opening the chat. The iOS app already offers this experience, and WhatsApp will bring the same functionality to Android users.

WhatsApp released media previews in the chat list

In the post about the WhatsApp beta for Android 2.26.32.11 update, we announced a feature that shows media thumbnail previews in the chat list. With this update, WhatsApp displays small thumbnails of photos, videos, and stickers for the latest message in the conversations. This makes it easier for users to identify the latest message without opening the chat. WhatsApp continues to improve the chat list experience with new updates that give users more context about their chats.

WhatsApp is testing a contextual chat preview to read messages

The iOS app allows users to see a preview of a specific chat by pressing and holding on it. Finally, WhatsApp is working on bringing the same convenience to the Android app. We discovered this with the WhatsApp beta for Android 2.26.44.11 update, which is available on the Google Play Store. With this update, WhatsApp is testing a contextual chat preview that appears when users long press on a conversation. In this case, WhatsApp will show the preview of the conversation at the top of a new action menu.

What the contextual preview shows

WhatsApp is currently working on making chats more accessible without opening them. Now, WhatsApp is testing a new gesture that will present an interface where users can see the latest messages in the conversation. When users tap and hold on a chat, they will see this preview. The preview shows the most recent messages in the chat, so users can read them without opening the conversation. In addition, WhatsApp will also display a new action menu that lets users manage the conversation from the preview. Users can select the chat, mark it as read, pin it, archive it, and delete it.

What the More options menu includes

If users need more actions, they can tap "More options". This feature will update the menu to include more actions. These include the ability to lock the chat, add it to a list, view its info, and add the chat to the home screen. With "More options", WhatsApp will make more actions accessible from the same menu, so users do not have to leave the chat list to manage a specific conversation.

Why users may need to read the conversation without marking it as read

The new chat preview feature will let users read new messages without making them as read. This means that users will be able to read the latest messages from the new interface without updating their read receipts. As a result, WhatsApp will update read receipts only when users open the chat normally. This is useful when users cannot reply immediately but they still want to read new messages in a conversation.

How this feature differs from the experience on WhatsApp for iOS

WhatsApp already offers the same feature on the iOS app. When users tap and hold on a chat, they can see its preview in a new window. However, WhatsApp focuses the preview on a few recent messages rather than offering a scrollable interface. On the Android app, WhatsApp will improve this feature by introducing a scrollable preview. This means that users will be able to scroll through the conversation interface without opening it.

WhatsApp is developing the contextual chat preview for a future Android update

The contextual chat preview is currently under development on Android. Since this feature is in development, it is not available for the public. WhatsApp will release it to the public in a future update. At the moment, WhatsApp has not announced when this feature will be available for beta testing.

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