Meta-owned WhatsApp is currently testing a new feature for its Android and iOS users: notification bubbles, a feature that Google has supported on Android since version 10.
This information comes from the team at WABetaInfo, which discovered that WhatsApp is experimenting with notification bubbles in its Android app. Users familiar with Meta's Facebook Messenger on Android will recognize how notification bubbles operate.
When a message arrives from an individual or group chat, a floating bubble will appear on the screen, accessible from both the home screen and third-party applications.
The WhatsApp notification bubble will feature the profile picture of the contact or group, along with a small WhatsApp icon to indicate the notification's source.
Clicking on this floating bubble will reveal a compact version of the WhatsApp chat interface, allowing users to read and reply to messages without fully opening the app.
Notification bubbles would facilitate quick messaging and multitasking for users who are chatting with multiple contacts or groups simultaneously. For instance, while watching a video, users can quickly engage in conversations on WhatsApp without leaving the video app or opening WhatsApp itself.
As WhatsApp continues to test the notification bubbles feature, a public release date for all Android users remains uncertain. However, it is expected that beta users will have the opportunity to try the feature before it becomes widely available.
