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Reverse image tools are really handy for discovering where a picture originally came from, but it can be a chore to save photos from one app and re-upload them to another one. Fortunately, WhatsApp plans to reduce the number of steps for performing a reverse search, as the newest beta has added an in-app option that can do the job for you.
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As spotted by WABetaInfo, the newest WhatsApp beta build lets you search images from within the app. If you're a WhatsApp beta tester, you'll find this new feature in version 2.24.23.13 for Android and version 24.22.10.79 for iOS.
If you have the correct version, you can search by tapping on an image in a chat and then tapping Search. You'll find a new option called Search on web; tap on that, and WhatsApp will pass the image to Google Lens for analysis.
WABetaInfo notes that this new feature simply acts as a bridge between WhatsApp and Google Lens. As such, you don't have to worry about the app uploading your image to WhatsApp's servers for processing, which is important given how privacy-minded people enjoy using the app for its end-to-end encryption protocol.
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It's unclear if WhatsApp lets you pick which app you upload the image to, or if you're forced to use Google Lens. Ideally, WhatsApp would let you pick from one of your installed reverse image search apps on iOS or Android. However, if you don't mind using Google Lens, the update seems to really cut down on the number of steps required to search an image online. Let's hope it makes it out of the beta phase and onto the WhatsApp release channel.