After the first decade of the twenty-first century, social media applications signaled the end of both SMS and personal connection. The emoji, and, more especially, its usage in messaging applications as a substitute for actual dialogue, is only the newest technique to divide us even further. Regardless of the eventual societal fallout, we can all agree that message reactions on WhatsApp couldn’t have come at a better time. Messaging programs such as Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and even Google’s recently deployed RCS provide seamless message responses. Let’s take a look at how WhatsApp’s message responses function and how you may perhaps get your hands on them.

WhatsApp Message Reactions

For the time being, Meta is only granting access to the message responses functionality to a small group of WhatsApp beta testers. The beta program is closed, but you may keep an eye on the Google Play Store page for the beta program. If you are currently a WhatsApp beta tester, download WhatsApp beta version 2.22.8.3 for Android from the Play Store. Even if you are a beta tester, reactions are only available in limited quantities, so you may not be able to trail the function.

How To Use The Feature?

WhatsApp’s head, Will Cathcart, verified message replies in a video on Twitter and on the WhatsApp site. Message responses will be intuitive to long-time users of other Meta messaging systems, or pretty much any other major messaging platform. If you’re unfamiliar with the messaging interfaces of Facebook Messenger or Instagram, responding to a message is straightforward, simply follow these steps:

1. Navigate to the chat room where the message you wish to respond to is placed.

2. Press and hold the message to which you wish to respond.

3. A pop-up will display six emoji to which you can respond.

4. Choose one of the six emoji from the pop-up to use as the reaction.

5. Your message reaction will be shown beneath the message you previously selected.

Message reactions in WhatsApp are a simple way to reduce the unnecessary clutter caused by the current practice of sending emojis as reactions to messages — we’ve all been in those group chats and received back-to-back notification alerts because the entire group thought your aunt’s cat was the cutest thing around. Don’t be disheartened if you’re not among the fortunate few who receive WhatsApp message alerts. Get a jump start on your emoji using Google Messages!