WhatsApp is making it easier to react to messages

WhatsApp is rolling out some new features and design improvements to help you become faster and more creative when messaging. Starting today, WhatsApp users can double-tap to react to messages in chats rather than tapping and holding, with their most-used emojis now being displayed in the scrolling pop-out menu instead of the generic selection that was previously provided.

It’s a similar quality-of-life feature that Discord provides: placing your favorite reactions within easy reach to prevent you from having to hunt through a massive wall of emojis. WhatsApp users can still easily access their other emoji options by clicking the plus symbol on the reaction bar. On the other hand, Meta’s Messenger app still only displays the same five emojis as reactions for each message — I’d like to see this update carried over from WhatsApp in the future.

The filters and virtual backgrounds that WhatsApp introduced for video calls last year are now coming to its messages, allowing users to edit shots using 30 different visual effects when they take a photo or video in chats. Sticker packs can now also be shared directly to chats, and users can turn their selfies into custom stickers by tapping on the sticker icon. The Sticker selfies feature is currently only available on Android, with iOS support coming “soon,” according to WhatsApp.