New quick actions in WhatsApp

WhatsApp is rolling out new quick actions on text messages, allowing users to interact with phone numbers, dates, addresses, and email addresses more efficiently. These features are expected to be available on both iOS and Android devices.

Additional features in development

Alongside the quick actions, WhatsApp developers have been working on several other features this autumn, including allowing calls to be made to guests without accounts, scheduling messages, and introducing parental control tools.

Automatic detection of information

The WABetaInfo team found that the latest beta version of WhatsApp can automatically detect phone numbers, dates, addresses, and email addresses. These elements are underlined with dotted lines, making them clickable for quick actions.

Options for interacting with detected information

When users tap on detected information, a small window appears with various options. These include copying phone numbers, adding them to the contact list, or making a call. For business numbers, additional information is available. Dates and times can be copied, added to a calendar, or used to create a new event.

User feedback and rollout process

After each action, WhatsApp will prompt users with a short questionnaire to test the feature's functionality. The feature is currently being rolled out to a limited number of users with the latest version of WhatsApp, and no specific release date has been announced.

Privacy and security considerations

WhatsApp explains that the detection of information happens entirely on the user's device using text recognition. No data is sent back to the server, and end-to-end encryption remains in place to protect user privacy.