WhatsApp for Android will now label forwarded messages
What's the story
WhatsApp for Android has started rolling out a new feature that will now classify and label forwarded messages. With this feature, available in beta version 2.18.179, forwarded messages will be tagged as 'Forwarded' highlighted above the text on both the recipient and sender's chat window. Hence, you can now easily differentiate between typed-out messages and forwarded ones. Here's more about this feature.
Simple stuff
Here's how this feature will work
When you forward a message, it will get labeled as 'Forwarded'. But, simply copying the text and sending it will not be shown with the 'forwarded' tag. Given forwarded messages are generally sent to multiple contacts, this new feature will help you know when a message has been mass-forwarded. Further, WhatsApp has also not provided an option to disable this feature.
Use cases
Is WhatsApp tackling spams and fake news with this feature?
Given that WhatsApp has been plagued with spam messages and fake news, with this labeling of forwarded messages, the chat service may be looking to help its users differentiate between mass-forwards and one-to-one texts. Moreover, by not letting people disable this feature, WhatsApp is essentially giving users more clarity and lesser control.