WhatsApp Smart Text Actions: What It Is and How to Use It
WhatsApp Smart Text Actions is a new feature that turns phone numbers, dates, addresses and email addresses inside your chats into tappable shortcuts. It is rolling out to some users on the latest versions of WhatsApp for Android and iPhone, according to the WhatsApp tracker WABetaInfo.
Instead of copying a number, leaving the app and pasting it somewhere else, you can now act on it right inside the chat.
What is WhatsApp Smart Text Actions?
When WhatsApp spots useful information in a message, it adds a dotted underline under it. Tap the underlined text and a small menu pops up with actions that fit that type of information. The detected text is shown at the top of the menu, so you can check WhatsApp picked it up correctly before you tap anything.
It works in both individual and group chats, and on messages you send as well as messages you receive.
What you can do with it
- Phone numbers: copy the number, add it to your contacts or call it straight away.
- Dates and times: copy them, add them to your phone's calendar or create a new event from the chat.
- Addresses: open the location in your maps app for directions.
- Email addresses: start a new email in your default email app.
Some of these options existed before in a scattered way, but Smart Text Actions puts them in one clean menu. After you use a suggestion, WhatsApp may also ask whether it was useful, so it can improve the feature.
How to use Smart Text Actions
- Update WhatsApp to the latest version from the Play Store or App Store.
- Open any chat that contains a phone number, date, address or email.
- Look for the dotted underline under that text.
- Tap the underlined text and choose an action from the menu.
If you don't want to use it, just ignore the underline and chat as normal. Nothing happens unless you tap it.
Why you may not see it yet
WhatsApp has not officially announced Smart Text Actions, and the rollout is gradual. That means some people get it before others, even on the same app version. If you have updated and still don't see the dotted underline, give it a few days. WhatsApp usually enables new features from its servers in batches.
Why this matters
A lot of everyday business now happens on WhatsApp: customers sending phone numbers, vendors sharing delivery addresses, friends fixing meeting times. Smart Text Actions saves a few taps each time and reduces copy-and-paste mistakes, like saving a wrong digit in a customer's number.
It also follows a pattern. WhatsApp has been adding small productivity tools over the past year to keep people inside the app instead of switching to other apps.
FAQs
Is Smart Text Actions available on Android?
Yes. It is rolling out on the latest WhatsApp versions for both Android and iOS.
Do I need WhatsApp Beta to get it?
No. It is reportedly rolling out on the regular app, but gradually, so not everyone has it yet.
Can I turn it off?
There is no separate switch reported yet. The underline is harmless, though. If you don't tap it, nothing changes.
Does it work in group chats?
Yes. It works in both individual and group conversations.
Have you seen the dotted underline in your chats yet? Tell us in the comments. For more WhatsApp tips, read how to know if your WhatsApp is hacked and join our Telegram channel.
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