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WhatsApp beta gets Android Wear features including voice reply, stacked notifications, more

A beta update for the ridiculously popular WhatsApp messenger for Android has been released with official support for Android Wear, extending its wrist capabilities beyond just viewing and clearing notifications. Among the additions that are included in the update are stacked notifications, complete preview of received messages and, most importantly, the ability to reply to messages with voice.

WhatsApp can vary in popularity depending on where you live. Within my circle of friends (and many of their circles), WhatsApp is nearly unheard of. For some, however, it can be an absolutely necessity. Amazingly, more than 500,000,000 people are regular users of the service. And with this update, the service is now extended to Google’s wrist platform.

Stacked notifications allow you to see multiple WhatsApp notifications stacked on your wrist and will let you see more by tapping the “+1 more” button. The update also allows you to see a complete preview of the messages you receive, rather than just a simply notification letting you know that you have one. Finally, the update packs the ability to dictate replies to messages straight from the wrist.

Stacked notifications

Today’s release isn’t technically a beta, but the latest version hasn’t yet been uploaded to the Play Store. You can version of 2.11.318 on the company’s website and installing it on your Android device will seamlessly provide you with these great Android Wear features.

 

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Avatar for Stephen Hall Stephen Hall

Stephen is Growth Director at 9to5. If you want to get in touch, follow me on Twitter. Or, email at stephen (at) 9to5mac (dot) com, or an encrypted email at hallstephenj (at) protonmail (dot) com.