A new icon appears in WhatsApp messages! It takes the form of a double arrow which goes first upwards then to the right. But what is it for?
Meta does not hide its desire to make WhatsApp much more than instant messaging and, for this, does not hesitate to look towards social networks. With this in mind, the famous instant messaging company deployed its system of “channels” in September 2023, one-way communication channels, which allow personalities, brands or even organizations to send messages, photos , videos, stickers and surveys to their subscribers. They can respond to messages with a comment or an emoji, without others being able to see it. Still little known, this function marked a turning point for WhatsApp, because the possibility of communicating publicly contrasts somewhat with its confidentiality and security policy. Meta intends to give more importance to this aspect of messaging, even if it means drawing inspiration from its social networks.
We already had the possibility of publishing channel messages in our status, with a presentation reminiscent of sharing Instagram publications in Story. It turns out that in the latest beta version of the application for Android, WhatsApp channels now have an additional button for sharing. It takes the form of a double arrow that points first upwards then to the right. This icon is generally known as a transfer function in messaging, even if it does not always have two arrows. In beta, the double arrow appears below the text message, to the right of reactions. It’s hard not to see this symbol. Whoever uses it can share the message in other discussions and groups, and in their status even faster than before.
It was already possible to transfer communications from channels, but you had to hold your finger down on the message and then select the option from the overflow menu at the top of the screen. Now transferring channel content is much faster thanks to this shortcut. Finally, the system now resembles those of classic social networks! This addition is further proof that Meta is giving channels a growing place, encouraging you to share updates from your favorite channels more frequently. Will WhatsApp end up becoming a hybrid application?