iOS' long-press to view chat previews feature could soon make its way to Android. The feature has been spotted in WhatsApp's internal code in its latest beta and will allow users to dodge read receipts.
Tech publication Android Authority recently tore down WhatsApp for Android beta (version 2.26.44.12) and found out that the app could soon gain Chat Previews on Android. Once implemented, long-pressing a chat thread will trigger a floating card displaying the most recent messages.
The most important detail is that looking at this preview card completely bypasses the read receipt system. This would allow Android users to read messages in secret and avoid triggering the blue ticks due to read receipts.
In fact, the Android counterpart could go one step further by allowing users to scroll up within the preview box, granting access to much longer messages and older texts.
Beneath this new floating card, WhatsApp is also introducing a redesigned context menu that neatly organises quick actions such as Pin chat, Archive, and Delete into a clean vertical list.
That said, it's worth noting that the feature is still under active development. We don't know when it could potentially roll out, but considering its presence in Beta, we'd like to hope soon.
Besides chat previews on Android, WhatsApp recently added new features to the Events menu, allowing hosts to invite non-WhatsApp users. Additionally, WhatsApp on iOS is getting an Expand feature for images to convert 1:1 images to a 9:16 ratio for statuses.
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