WhatsApp will turn phone numbers and addresses in chats into tappable links

WhatsApp is adding a feature that spots phone numbers, dates, addresses and email addresses inside messages and lets you tap them. A small menu then offers things to do with that detail, such as saving a contact or opening a map. The news comes from WABetaInfo, as reported by TengriNews.

What changed

When WhatsApp recognizes one of these details, it will mark it with a dotted underline. Tapping the underlined text opens a short menu of actions. The feature will work on both incoming and outgoing messages. WhatsApp will also show what type of information it has recognized. If you do not want it, you can ignore the underline.

What one tap can do

• Phone number: copy it, save it to contacts or call it. Business numbers may show company information.
• Date and time: add to a calendar, copy, or create an event in WhatsApp.
• Address: copy it or open it in a maps app.
• Email address: copy it or open it in an email service.

The practical gain is simple. If a friend sends the address of a meeting place, you no longer need to copy it and switch to a maps app. You tap the underlined text and pick the action.

A new Events section

WhatsApp is also expected to add an Events section to the app settings. Users will be able to create new events, view scheduled ones and manage them. An event can include a title, a date and time, a location and an optional call link.

What about privacy

The developers say the feature should not affect the privacy of conversations. WhatsApp finds these details on your own device using text-detection tools. Message content and the results are not sent to WhatsApp's servers. As a result, end-to-end encryption, the protection that keeps chats readable only by the people in them, is not affected.

When you will see it

The features are rolling out gradually on Android and iPhone, and they are not available to everyone yet. If you have updated the app and see nothing new, you may simply need to wait. WhatsApp has not announced a date for when all users will have them.

Earlier reports said WhatsApp is testing two other features. One lets people share chat themes with others. The other turns voice messages into text in different languages.