The latest WhatsApp Android update for those who are in the Google Play Beta Program is now on version WhatsApp Beta for Android 2.25.6.15. This latest beta follows the changes in the sheet for emoji reactions that were rolled out in iOS 13.1 and brings together how emoji reactions appear in chats, groups, and channels. While the feature is only available now to some of the beta testers, it’ll become more widely available to users during the next few weeks.
Today in this article we will discuss about the new WhatsApp Beta for Android 2.25.6.15 features what changes we see due to this update and many more.
An Emoji Reaction display with a more organized access
The latest beta update of an upcoming WhatsApp update is geared towards improving the user interface when users interact with emoji reactions in the application. Reactions had been displayed as a long horizontal list in the previous cases that were difficult to navigate, especially in the channels with a lot of reactions.
The cumbersome way of presenting reactions made it hard for users to access specific reactions quickly, making it better to scroll unnecessarily in order to see these reactions. In this updated version of WhatsApp, the structure and presentation of emoji reactions are being reorganized to be more fitted to the user’s experience.
The new design is structured and looks visually appealing. Now, for channels, WhatsApp shows reactions as a grid, and you need to scroll less to view all the reactions on a row, as compared with scrolling through multiple rows.
Grid Layout in Channels
If you use channels under this update, definitely the biggest change is the new reaction interface. In previous cases, reaction shown in vertical list format was presented as it was difficult to quickly scroll through a long list of reactions. The reactions are organized into a grid by the new layout which displays four reactions in a row.
In particular, the nature of channel interactions is the main reason for this change. Reactions are primarily used as usage for engagement in channels, where follower identities are only revealed when in the user’s contacts list. This means that a more structured display gives users much faster perusal of the total reaction trends without excessive scrolling.
Refined Design for Chats and Groups
While most of the update centers around channels, WhatsApp Beta for Android 2.25.6.15 has also lightly touched up how emoji reactions are shown in personal and group chats. The vertical list format is maintained for chats and groups, however items in these posts do get some enhancements that channels don’t. Some of the most notable change is, the introduction of redesigned tabs at top of reactions page, which makes the interface cleaner and more modern.
This is a deliberate choice to keep the chats and groups in a vertical list. Reactions in chats and groups are usually linked to a particular user, while channels support only reactions as an engagement tool. Each reaction comes along with the name of the person who reacted in this format, making it easier to have visible who reacted to a message.
User Experience Considerations
Introducting the improved emoji reactions sheet is one such effort by WhatsApp to its overall efforts to make the WhatsApp platform a more user-friendly platform. Reactions are becoming increasingly important in communication in the digital realm and therefore making it more accessible and organized is a logical step to improve the usability.
Having a balance between efficiency and aesthetics, so the message can be handled by the user efficiently. One of the things that shows that WhatsApp pays attention to user behavior, is the underlying difference between channel chats and groups. Reactions in channels are an engagement metric, not a personal interaction, as identity is usually hidden from the users.
