WhatsApp tests tappable phone numbers, dates and addresses in chats

WhatsApp is reportedly testing a feature that turns details inside chats into shortcuts. If a message contains a phone number, date, address or email, the app underlines it with a dotted line. Tap it, and a menu offers quick actions. The test is on both Android and iPhone, according to a report from WABetaInfo, a site that tracks WhatsApp changes, as covered by The Times of India.

What changed

The feature is called "Message Text Actions" or "Smart Text Actions." It scans messages you receive and messages you send. That means an address a friend sent last week can still be tapped today. When you tap an underlined detail, a popup shows the text WhatsApp found at the top. You can check that the app picked the right thing before you act. If you do not want the shortcut, you can ignore it and keep chatting.

What each tap can do

• Phone numbers: copy, add to contacts, or call through your phone carrier. Business numbers also show business details.
• Dates and times: add to your calendar, copy, or create a new event within WhatsApp.
• Addresses: copy the address or open it in maps.
• Email addresses: open in your mail app or copy.

WABetaInfo noted that some of these actions already existed. WhatsApp is now making them easier to find. The goal is less copying and pasting between apps.

What about privacy

After you pick an action, WhatsApp asks if it was useful. If you say no, you can tell it the app found the wrong text or that you did not need the action. WABetaInfo said this sends WhatsApp only a flag, not your message. The tracker also said detection happens fully on your phone, using pattern-matching rules. So WhatsApp never receives the message content or the suggestion, and end-to-end encryption is not affected.

What happens next

The feature is going out to select users on the latest versions of WhatsApp for Android and iOS. Wider availability is expected in the coming weeks. The report does not give a firm date, and it does not say whether every user will get the feature. If you do not see dotted underlines yet, updating the app is the only step the report points to.