Meta-owned WhatsApp keeps testing new features for its Android and iOS users, with the latest feature in the works being notification bubbles, which Google has supported on Android since Android 10.
This revelation comes from the folks at WABetaInfo, who found that WhatsApp is testing the notification bubbles feature in its Android app. If you’ve used Meta-owned Facebook Messenger on Android, then you already know how notification bubbles work.
When you receive a message from an individual or in a group chat, you’ll see a floating bubble on the screen, regardless of whether you are on the homescreen or a third-party app.
The notification bubble displayed by WhatsApp will include the WhatsApp contact or group’s profile picture, along with a small WhatsApp icon, indicating it’s a WhatsApp notification.
Clicking that floating bubble will open a compact version of the WhatsApp chat interface, letting users read and reply to messages without fully opening the WhatsApp app.
Notification bubbles would enable quick messaging and multi-tasking when you are chatting with multiple people/groups at the same time. For example, if you are watching a video and want to chat with multiple people on WhatsApp, you can quickly message in both chats without leaving the video app or opening WhatsApp.
WhatsApp is still testing the notification bubbles feature, so it’s unclear when exactly it will be released publicly to all Android users. However, before a public release, it will probably be rolled out to beta users, allowing them to experience the feature before it’s released to everyone.