WhatsApp beta's 'Reply Privately' feature will let you send individual replies in group chats

The beta version of WhatsApp is now getting a new feature called ‘Reply Privately’ that will be available in group chats. This will enable the user to privately reply to a particular message that will be sent only to the concerned person opening a separate chat box. With the new feature, other users on the group will not be able to view the private message. In simple words, it’s like a private chat that can be accessed in a group. This will save users the trouble of getting out of the group and then searching for the concerned person’s chat and then replying to the message. According to WaBetaInfo, the feature is available for Android users in version 2.18.335 of the beta app, but the version is said to be riddled with bugs, which makes the app crash frequently. The source advised users to wait till the next beta version comes up i.e 2.18.336/337.

The report does not mention whether the chat has been opened privately or within the same group chat window. Also, the images reveal two options, one that shows ‘Reply Privately’ and the second ‘Message XYZ’. While we understand what ‘reply privately’ works for, there is no official news on what the Message XYZ stands for. [caption id=“attachment_5489411” align=“alignnone” width=“1280”] WhatsApp ‘Reply Privately’ feature. Image: WaBetaInfo[/caption] We assume that the ‘Message XYZ’ option would take the user directly to the original chat or maybe it might allow the user to just reply on the group itself. The beta users can also use this feature to privately reply to old messages in a group where the send messages feature is on ‘Only administrators’. The feature also works when the group is not in use as per the report.