WhatsApp: New feature will let users respond to group chat messages privately

WhatsApp has created a new messaging option called Reply Privately.

It’s built for group conversations and, as its name suggests, allows you to respond to messages privately, without anyone but the person you’re messaging being able to see what you’ve typed.

It’s more of a shortcut than a completely new feature, but should still prove useful, especially for group chats in which you don't know all of the other members.

The Reply Privately option, which will only be an option inside group chats, will live inside the menu bubble that pops up when you tap and hold a message, WABetaInfo reports.

When you select Reply Privately, WhatsApp will automatically launch a one-on-one chat with the person whose message you want to reply to.

When you send your reply, their message from the group chat will appear as a quote.

It’s a convenient option, which could save you from potential embarrassment if you’re uncomfortable with sharing certain things with an entire group.

WhatsApp has also developed picture-in-picture mode for videos sent through WhatsApp.

Picture-in-picture mode lets you play videos directly inside the messaging app, in a floating window you can move and resize.

We’ve known WhatsApp has been working on picture-in-picture functionality for YouTube videos for some time, but it appears picture-in-picture could soon apply to all video clips.

The features are yet to roll out to users, as they’re still in development, but will be released if and when WhatsApp thinks they’re ready to go live.