WhatsApp is introducing Message Text Actions, a feature that recognizes phone numbers, dates, times, addresses and email addresses in conversations and offers shortcuts for interacting with them. The rollout is gradual across recent versions of the app for Android and iOS, according to WABetaInfo, which spotted the feature in recent releases.
Recognized text appears with a dotted underline. Tapping it opens a contextual menu that displays the detected information and offers actions based on its type. The feature works with both incoming and outgoing messages. Users can ignore the underline and continue chatting as usual.
For phone numbers, the menu may let users copy the number, save it as a contact or place a call through their carrier. Business numbers may also include an option to look up company information. Dates and times can be copied, added to the device’s calendar or used to create an event in WhatsApp. Addresses can be copied or opened in a maps app, while email addresses can be copied or used to open an email application.
Some of these actions were already available in earlier versions of WhatsApp. The change is that they are now grouped in a contextual menu for easier access.
WABetaInfo says the text recognition happens on the device using regular expressions, which detect specific information formats. According to the site, neither message contents nor suggested actions are sent to WhatsApp’s servers, so the feature does not affect end-to-end encryption. Users can also rate whether a suggested action was useful; WABetaInfo says this feedback sends a signal to the platform without sharing the message itself.
The feature is currently reaching some users with recent app versions. Not everyone will see the dotted underlines immediately, even after updating. WABetaInfo says the rollout is expected to expand to more accounts in the coming weeks, but WhatsApp has not announced when it will be available to everyone.
Sources: Olhar Digital.