WhatsApp Rolling Out 'Frequently Forwarded' Message Label in India

WhatsApp has started rolling out the Frequently Forwarded messages label on both Android as well as iOS apps to let users know if the message they have received has been forwarded over five times. Long forwarded messages will also be truncated, and users will have to tap to read the full message. This new label is available for all the users who are on the latest version of WhatsApp.

The new Frequently Forwarded label is an attempt by the Facebook-owned messaging service to curb the spread of fake news through the platform. In its FAQ, the company says the number of times a message has been forwarded is end-to-end encrypted. The latest feature is in addition to WhatsApp's 'forwarded' label for messages which was introduced last year. The newly introduced Frequently Forwarded label was first spotted in beta back in March this year.

Photo Credit: WABetaInfo

"We have recently introduced an update to our forwarded message label that helps people identify when they have received messages that were previously forwarded several times, such as a chain message. These highly forwarded messages will be marked with a double arrow icon and users will receive a notice when they are forwarding such a message," said WhatsApp spokesperson.

WhatsApp is also gearing up to launch its payment service, WhatsApp Pay, in India. WhatsApp Global Head Will Cathcart said that the company was aiming to roll-out the service by the end of this year.

Also on Friday, the Supreme Court was reported to ask the RBI to confirm WhatsApp's compliance with local data rules for its payments service, giving it six weeks to report back to it. The Facebook-owned instant messenger has been testing the service in India for over a year.

Written with inputs from IANS