Message threads might come to WhatsApp

 Introduction of support for threaded message replies by WhatsApp 

WhatsApp is working on a feature which will group replies to specific messages into a thread, making it easier to keep track of conversations. Instead of scrolling through chats to see scattered individual replies, the feature will create a dedicated view showing every quoted message connecting back to the original message which started the thread, helping users to find specific responses and easily navigate long and messy conversations. This is currently in development, and once that finishes (which may take a long time, by the way), it should make its way to one-on-one chats, group chats, communities and channels. The in-development feature should help users navigate messy conversations.

The threads feature, spotted in WhatsApp’s Android beta 2.25.7.7 update, is under development and won’t be available for testing until a future update. Message threads are expected to be available for individual conversations, group chats, communities and channels, though the ability to reply to messages in channels is also still under development. With the support for threads, once you reply to a quoted message, the thread will remain connected to the original message, thus ensuring that all responses to it stay organized. So instead of scrolling through a long list of individual replies to a message, you'll be able to follow and view all of them in a dedicated thread.

A screenshot of the preview gives us some idea of what the threaded messages will look like once the feature rolls out, showing a full-screen pop-up displaying replies which have been sent by several users in a group discussion. Users can tap on any quoted message to view all the responses within that chain, though it seems the original message that’s being responded to won’t appear within the threaded view. It does however seem like you'll need to tap on a reply to enter the thread, the threads won't automatically show right next to the original message. Whether this is a better option in practice remains to be seen.

The feature could change before it’s officially rolled out but this preview gives us an idea of what to expect. This will be especially welcome in very busy group chats, where discussions can quickly become overwhelming. This way, every message will have its own thread of replies and thus the myriad different conversations in a group will be much easier to follow without losing any context. This is a pretty major change, and a welcome one for anyone who uses WhatsApp to organize and make plans with large groups of people, or frequently uses the search function to resurface older message replies. There’s no indication of when message threads will be generally available for all WhatsApp users.