WhatsApp Tests 4 Animated Emoji Reactions in Android Beta 2.26.33.4

Q: Will the new Android Photo Picker controls finally prevent third-party apps from secretly extracting your hidden location data?

Mostly yes for photos shared through Android’s Photo Picker, but not as a blanket fix for all apps or all location tracking. Google’s new Photo Picker control is a meaningful privacy upgrade because it puts the decision in front of the user at the moment a photo is shared. If an app requests location metadata embedded in a photo’s EXIF data, Android will ask whether to include it. If you choose not to, the location data is redacted before the app receives the file. Android will also remember that choice per app, and users can later revoke or re-enable it from the picker. That should largely stop third-party apps from quietly obtaining hidden location metadata when they rely on the system Photo Picker. In that specific workflow, the app should no longer be able to extract geotags “secretly” if the user denies access, because the metadata is stripped at the system level before delivery. But it is not a total shield. Apps that don’t use Photo Picker, or that already have broader storage access, camera access, or direct location permission, may still get location information through other routes. Some apps also need EXIF data for legitimate functions, which is why Google is making this consent-based rather than blocking it outright. The feature is therefore best understood as stronger control, not perfect prevention. It closes an important privacy gap in Android’s photo-sharing flow, but users still need to watch app permissions and whether an app uses the system picker at all.

3 articles · Updated · Sammy Fans · Aug 22

Some Android beta users on WhatsApp 2.26.33.4 can now trigger animated message reactions, with supported emoji moving once before becoming static.
The test currently covers four reactions—Thumbs Up, Red Heart, Face with Tears of Joy and Folded Hands—and users activate them by pressing and holding a message.
WhatsApp is rolling the feature out gradually, so not all beta testers can access it yet, and users who dislike the effect can switch animations off in settings.
The company plans to expand animated reactions to more emoji and is also developing custom emoji reactions, though it has not said when either feature will reach all Android users.