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WhatsApp for iOS testing new voice waveforms for chat bubbles

You may have noticed that WhatsApp for iOS now shows a waveform when you’re recording a voice message. Now, the company is testing a new interface that shows exactly the form of your message when it’s sent to the chat.

According to WABetaInfo, this feature is starting to appear for beta testers on version 2.21.240.18 of the iOS app but it’s not a global rollout as only specific testers can try it now.

The publication notes that this experience while playing voice notes it’s not new, as it has been at least six months since the company started working on the ability to see voice waveforms in chat bubbles. Unfortunately, sooner after this function was first added to the beta app, the company took it away.

Now, with version 2.21.240.18, WhatsApp is finally bringing back voice waveforms for chat bubbles. WABetaInfo notes that, as of now, it’s a bit tricky to see this feature in action.

Specific beta testers can now see voice waveforms in chat bubbles, but not always: you can see voice waveforms for your voice notes if the feature is enabled for your WhatsApp account, but voice waveforms may still not show up when receiving a voice note from someone that have the feature disabled or when the voice note has been recorded using an old version of WhatsApp.

According to the publication, in the following betas, more testers will be able to try this feature. One of the benefits of seeing voice waveforms is to know how the message will go, whether the other person will make a longer pause or, by any chance, scream at you.

Early last week, 9to5Mac covered that WhatsApp keeps readying the new Reaction feature for the chats. At that time, WABetaInfo noted that users will be able to “react to a specific message once and reactions are limited to six emojis.

Currently, the figures available are “Like,” “Love,” “Laugh,” “Suprised,” “Sad,” and “Thanks.” As of now, it’s unclear whether WhatsApp will make any emoji available as a reaction, as Facebook now does with Instagram or if it’s going to be more limited the way Twitter is also working with reactions.

What do you think about all of these new features WhatsApp is planning to release to all users? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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