Reply to a specific message
Swipe a bubble, double-click it or use its menu to answer one particular message — and what the quote shows for a photo, a sticker or a voice message.
When a conversation has moved on, you can answer one particular message instead of the last one. The reply carries a small quote of the original, so both of you can see what it is about.
Start a reply
There are three ways in, and they do the same thing:
- Swipe the bubble. Drag it sideways — either direction — about a finger's width. A round arrow appears behind it; let go and the reply starts.
- Open the bubble's menu. Long-press it (right-click on a desktop) and choose Reply.
- Double-click it, on a desktop web layout.
On a call record, use the menu or the double-click: there the whole row is given to the sideways swipe that takes you back to the chat list. Reply needs a message that has arrived, so a message still sending, one that failed to send, and the placeholder left behind by an unsent or destroyed message have nothing to quote, and none of the three ways in works on them.
A bar appears directly above the message box: Replying to
Two useful details: tapping the text in that bar jumps the transcript to the original message, and cancelling the reply leaves whatever you have typed in the field — the text is your draft, the reply is only where it is going.
Then type and send as normal. The sent message carries the quote above your own words; tapping the quote in the conversation jumps to the original.
What the quote shows
The quote is a name and one line. The name reads You when you are looking at your own message and the sender's name otherwise, so the same reply reads correctly on both screens.
The line depends on what was quoted:
| The original was | The quote reads |
|---|---|
| Text | Its first 120 characters |
| A photo | 📷 Photo |
| A voice message | 🎙 Voice message |
| A file | 📎 File |
| A sticker | Sticker, with a small picture of that sticker |
| A View once photo or voice message | View once · Photo — text only, on both devices, never the picture |
Everything the quote needs travels inside the encrypted message: who wrote the original, what kind of thing it was, and the short snippet. So the quote is readable even when the original is not loaded on that device yet — and the server learns none of it.
The quote stays as it is. It is a copy of those few characters inside your reply, not a live link — so unsending the original does not blank the quote in an answer that was already sent.
Common questions
Does the other person know I replied to that message and not another?
Yes — that is the point of the quote. It is shown on both sides.
Can I reply to a message in a group?
Yes, the same three ways.
Why does my swipe sometimes do nothing near the left edge?
A rightward swipe that starts at the very left edge of the screen belongs to your phone's or your browser's own back gesture, not to us. Start the swipe on the bubble itself, a little further in.
Is there a way to see all replies to a message?
No. A reply is an ordinary message with a quote in it; there is no thread view inside a chat.