WhatsApp continues to ready reactions with new notification settings

Whatsapp Group Message on iPhone X (Image credit: Luke Filipowicz/iMore)

What you need to know

WhatsApp is expected to release reactions in a future update.
A new WhatsApp beta adds support for controlling how notifications will be handled for reactions.
Reactions are expected to function in the same way they do on Facebook.

Popular instant messaging service WhatsApp is continuing its road towards bringing reactions to its apps and a new beta update appears to be getting closer than ever. With reactions set to arrive in a future update the latest beta release is setting the groundwork by adding toggle options that will control how people are notified about them.

A new WABeatInfo post outlines the changes in WhatsApp Messenger and Business beta 22.2.72, a release that is currently in the hands of those running the beta versions of the app. In that release, we can clearly see new notification toggles that will control whether a notification is triggered by reactions across both group and one-on-one messages.

Whartsapp Reaction Notifications Settings (Image credit: WABetaInfo)

As you can see in this screenshot, you are now able to manage when you should receive notifications for reactions, for individual chats and groups, and which tone to play when you receive those notifications. Unfortunately, it's still not possible to react to messages, but the fact that it's possible to manage these settings suggests that message reactions will be available very soon.

It's possible that WhatsApp may not need to release a new update to enable reactions, although this particular release with new settings will surely need to be in the App Store before the big reactions switch can be flicked.

WhatsApp is among the best iPhone messaging apps there is and reactions will help cement its place on that list.

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too.

Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.