WhatsApp Reels Shortcut for Chats Rolling Out to Android Beta Testers

WhatsApp is reportedly making it easier for users to share Instagram Reels in chats with a new shortcut in the attachment menu. The new shortcut gives users another way to share Instagram Reels on WhatsApp. Instead of finding them in the media picker, they can tap the Reels button in a chat and browse their recently watched, saved and liked videos. The feature is currently rolling out to some Android beta testers.

According to WABetaInfo, WhatsApp is rolling out a shortcut to share Instagram Reels in chats to some users running the WhatsApp beta for Android 2.26.42.9, available through the Google Play Store. The Reels button takes users to their Instagram activity, where they can browse the videos they watched recently, saved or liked. They can pick a Reel from any of these tabs and share it in a WhatsApp chat.

Users will need to link their WhatsApp account to Accounts Centre before they can use the new shortcut. If they prefer to keep WhatsApp separate from Instagram and Facebook, they can continue using the apps without linking their accounts, but they won’t see the Reels button in the chat attachment menu.

WhatsApp already allows users to share Instagram and Facebook stories, posts and Reels through the media picker. However, users have to open the picker and navigate to the relevant section to find that content. The new shortcut gives Reels their own button in the attachment menu, letting users browse their Instagram activity and share a video in a chat without taking that extra step.

The feature was spotted in WhatsApp beta for Android version 2.26.42.9, available through the Google Play Store. WhatsApp is rolling it out to some beta testers, so the button may not show up for everyone who installs the update. The company has yet to announce when it plans to make the shortcut available to all users.