WhatsApp will turn phone numbers and addresses in chats into one-tap actions

WhatsApp is getting ready to add a feature called Smart Text Actions. It spots phone numbers, dates, email addresses and street addresses in a chat and makes them tappable. Instead of copying a detail and pasting it into another app, you tap it and act right away.

What it does

The app reads the text of a message, finds useful details and offers options that fit each one.

• Phone number: call it or save it to your contacts.
• Date: add it to your phone's calendar as an event.
• Address: open it in a map app.
• Email address: start a message with one tap.

It works on messages you send and receive, in one-on-one chats and in groups. That makes it handy for meeting times, contact numbers, addresses and event details.

Privacy and what is not known

Information published about the feature says it processes text on your phone. Message content is not sent to outside servers for these actions. WhatsApp chats also remain protected by end-to-end encryption, which means only the people in the chat can read them.

Several basics are still unclear. The report describes the feature as being prepared, so it is not confirmed as live. It gives no release date, no list of supported phones, and no word on which countries get it first or whether it costs anything.