WhatsApp’s latest feature looks set to try and fix the spam problem on its messaging platform.
The Facebook-owned app is the most popular messaging system in the world, with millions and billions of text messages sent every day.
Unsurprisingly, spam is a problem on the chat app.
Users are frequently pestered with scam messages, like those that claim WhatsApp plans to introduce a 99p charge for using the hugely-successful messaging app.
These fraudulent message are typically circulated hundreds of times by users, like chain-mail.
To solve the issue, WhatApp is purportedly looking to introduce a warning to flag-up when a text has been forwarded too many times.
The system is rumoured to warn users when a message or link has been forwarded more than 25 times from a single device.
The new “Forwarded Message” feature was spotted in the latest beta version of WhatsApp, i.e. v2.18.67.
However, those running the new beta on Android are not able to access the feature, since it is currently disabled by default and hidden for all users, noted WaBetaInfo.
If the latest feature is pushed-out to users, it looks like WhatsApp does not plan to outright block messages that have been forwarded multiple times.
Instead it wants to make users aware of the potential danger of opening a link that has been forwarded multiple times.
The latest addition to the beta comes as WhatsApp rolled-out a number of new features to its messaging service.
WhatsApp added a new Stickers feature to its iOS app earlier this week.
The new stickers allow users to tag a location, as well as the current time, on any photos and videos sent to an individual recipient, or group chat.
WhatsApp’s new stickers are fairly limited, with only two designs to choose from for the location sticker, and the choice of either an analogue or digital clock for the timestamp.
Similar functionality has existed on rival social networks, including Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook Messenger, for a while.
Snapchat lets users add stickers which are specific to their current location, including historic monuments and local points of interest.
Previously, WhatsApp only allowed users add emoji to their photos and videos on WhatsApp.