San Francisco, July 28: WhatsApp has started rolling out its new "greeting message with wave emoji" feature to Android beta testers. The Meta-owned platform has introduced this feature to allow users to share a waving emoji while sending a greeting to the recipient. This little emoji added to the conversation can really boost interaction between two users. The new feature will be rolled out to a limited beta testers; however, once the testing is complete, it will be introduced to the end users as well.

WhatsApp's 'greeting message with wave emoji' feature was rolled out to the beta testers (developers) via Android 2.25.21.24. The platform released it through the Google Play Beta Programme. The new WhatsApp feature comes with a new section at the bottom of the chats list, showing the suggested contacts from the address book. It highlights the contacts which have not been previously interacted with. This feature can benefit interacting with those whom the WhatsApp users were not engaged with before. Elon Musk Responds on Grok AI Facing ‘Consensus Bias’, Says ‘Grok Will Sometimes Make Mistakes, We're Working on This’.

WhatsApp's new feature brings a new visual prompt that appears in one-on-one chats without message history and draws attention to start a conversation. The Meta-owned instant messaging platform allows users to send a wave emoji, showing a friendly gesture to the recipient with a subtle nudge to begin interaction. 

WhatsApp users can use this emoji not only to initiate new conversations with other users but also in other parts of the application, according to a report by WABetaInfo. It mentioned that the waving emoji was incorporated into voice chats via the "Wave All' option to notify group members about the ongoing conversation and encourage them to join. Elon Musk Reacts to Neuralink Patient Audrey Crews Wiring Her Name Using Only Her Thoughts After 20 Years, Says ‘She Controls Her Computer Just by Thinking’.

WhatsApp adds a little gesture, making it easier for users to start a conversation from scratch. It finds a new way around saying just help and offers the users who usually hesitate to begin a conversation without making them feel awkward, according to the report. WhatsApp also provides the option to dismiss this option for those who want to continue using a different method.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 28, 2025 12:01 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).