WhatsApp’s New Reaction Menu for iPhone

This Is What WhatsApp’s New Reaction Menu for iPhone With Transparency Effect Will Look Like

WhatsApp is experimenting with an Apple-inspired appearance, featuring controls that let the conversation peer through while maintaining the same options for responding to each message.

The application is preparing a new reaction menu for iPhone with a transparency effect called Liquid Glass, a modification that will change the emoji tray and the contextual message menu. The new feature appears in beta version 26.35.10.16 for iOS, available through TestFlight to a limited group of users.

The change matters because it expands the visual redesign that WhatsApp started on the chat and navigation bars. The application seeks to adapt various interface elements to Apple’s design language, using translucent surfaces that allow users to partially see the chat content behind the controls. For now, there is no confirmed release date for this feature to reach all iPhones.

The new feature appears in beta version 26.35.10.16 for iOS, available through TestFlight to a limited group of users.

The reaction tray will have a translucent background

The update modifies the screen that appears when a user long-presses a message. Until now, that action opened a menu with options and reactions that applied a wider blur over the conversation. With the new design, the chat will remain visible behind the panel.

The reaction tray will adopt the Liquid Glass effect, which is based on transparency, reflections, and visual refraction. The panel will no longer show a solid background and will instead integrate with the colors and elements behind it in the conversation.

The change will also affect the contextual menu, where actions such as replying, forwarding, copying, or deleting a message appear. The intention is for both components to maintain a coherent appearance with the bottom chat bar, which had already received a similar visual treatment in previous beta versions.

The modification will be purely aesthetic. WhatsApp will not change the way users react to messages, not will it add new emojis through this update. Users will continue selecting a message to open the tray and pick a reaction from the available options.

WhatsApp will not change the way users react to messages, not will it add new emojis through this update. Users will continue selecting a message to open the tray and pick a reaction from the available options.

The design will adapt to light mode and dark mode

The new reaction menu will work in both light mode and dark mode. In light mode, the tray will display a brighter transparency tailored to the light tones of the interface. In dark mode, the same effect will adapt to the chat background and maintain a more subtle appearance.

This adaptation aims to prevent controls from losing contrast depending on the theme selected on the iPhone. Transparency does not mean the content behind the panel will be fully exposed; rather, it will remain visible with a visual treatment that clearly distinguishes the menu options from the rest of the conversation.

Liquid Glass is already present in other parts of the application. WhatsApp incorporated this design language into the typing bar and is also working to bring it to the navigation bar. The message menu represents an additional step in a progressive interface update.

Liquid Glass is already present in other parts of the application. WhatsApp incorporated this design language into the typing bar and is also working to bring it to the navigation bar.

WhatsApp prepares changes to the drawing editor and video player

The company is also developing tweaks for the drawing editor and the video player. The goal is for the screen used to add strokes, text, or graphic elements to an image—as well as the video playback controls—to adopt the same visual treatment.

These changes do not yet have a general release date. The application maintains a gradual rollout of test-phase features, so some users may receive the new feature sooner than others, even when running the same beta version.

The WhatsApp beta for iOS allows the company to detect interface bugs, performance issues, or incompatibilities before releasing features to all users. In the case of Liquid Glass, this process is taking place while Apple prepares the launch of iOS 27.

The redesigned menu is being rolled out on a limited basis to TestFlight users. This means that installing version 26.35.10.16 does not guarantee immediate access to the transparent reaction tray. Activation depends on a server-side rollout by WhatsApp.

Users who do not see the change will have to wait for future updates. WhatsApp has not communicated when Liquid Glass will reach all iPhone accounts or whether the design will receive further adjustments before its stable release.

With this update, WhatsApp continues bringing the transparency effect to screens that previously maintained more opaque backgrounds within the chat interface.

Links

• WhatsApp launches message menu compatible with Liquid Glass – WABetaInfo
• Sell pre-owned Apple iPhone online – iGotOffer
• Is It Possible to Deploy Millions of Data Centers in Space? – iGotOffer Blog
• Everything About Apple’s Products – The complete guide to all Apple consumer electronic products, including technical specifications, identifiers and other valuable information.

How to Update WhatsApp on iPhone (New Features) [Video]

Video uploaded by Trevor Nace on July 7, 2026.