WhatsApp's new feature will let you reply to status updates with 'avatars'

Meta-owned WhatsApp is reportedly rolling out a new feature that will allow users to reply to status updates using avatars on iOS and Android.

With this feature, the company aims to improve engagement with status updates by providing users with an additional tool to engage with their contacts, making replying to status updates even more interactive, according to WABetaInfo.

The report mentioned that users can currently choose from a set of eight available avatars to respond to status updates.

This feature is available to some beta testers who install the latest versions of WhatsApp beta for Android and iOS.

In addition, some beta testers can also reply to status updates by using an animated version of the avatars available in the set, a feature that was not available during the development, the report confirmed.

Meanwhile, WhatsApp has announced to roll out support for a password-less passkey feature to all Android users.

The move will help WhatsApp users on Android bid goodbye to insecure and even annoying two-factor SMS authentication.

“Android users can easily and securely log back in with passkeys. Only your face, fingerprint, or pin unlocks your WhatsApp account,” the company posted on X (formerly Twitter).

Passkeys were previously being tested by WhatsApp in its beta channel, but it’s now coming to regular users.

There is still no information on support for WhatsApp passkeys on iPhones.

In other news about WhatsApp, the feature is reported to get another security feature. The new feature will make it harder for hackers to infer users’ location by protecting their IP addresses in calls.

As per WABetainfo, the new ‘protect IP address in calls’ feature will offer an extra layer of security. While this feature may offer added security, it might have a minor impact on the call quality due to encryption and routing.

— With inputs from IANS