WhatsApp’s upcoming AI feature could be your new Google Lens

2 min readUpdated May 26, 2025Jan 14, 20256:40 AM

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While Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has been rolling back some of its policies lately, the push for AI seems to be going full steam ahead. The company is focused on making it even easier to access Meta AI, its AI-powered assistant, on Android phones.

With the release of the latest WhatsApp beta for Android 2.25.1.27 update on the Google Play Store, it’s been discovered that WhatsApp is working on adding a widget for easy access to Meta AI

It looks like, with an upcoming update, one of the most widely used messaging apps will let you access Meta AI right from your Home Screen. This new widget will be totally optional and will appear alongside other widgets WhatsApp offers.

Just keep in mind that this feature will only be available to accounts that already have access to AI-powered chats. Since Meta AI is still limited to certain regions and users, not everyone will get this widget right off the bat. For example, it’s unavailable in the EU due to local laws and regulations.

For those who do have access, though, the widget will make it super easy to start a conversation with Meta AI without needing to open WhatsApp or dig through its menus. It’ll be right there on your Home Screen, ready to go.

With the widget, you’ll be able to ask questions, get help, or chat with Meta AI however you like. It’ll also include a quick shortcut to snap a photo and send it directly to Meta AI. Once that’s done, you’ll be able to ask the AI to edit the image, explain what’s in it, or answer any questions you might have about the photo.

I think it’s kind of like how Google Lens works, offering more details about what’s in the image. However, WhatsApp’s feature is still in the works and will be rolled out in a future update.

In other WhatsApp updates, the app could soon introduce a simpler, more streamlined way to create groups and communities. On top of that, it’s also working on a new “Chat with us” feature, which will make getting human support faster through its web app.

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What this means

Meta's aggressive integration of its AI assistant directly onto WhatsApp home screens via a widget is a smart play, using the app's immense user base to pressure Google's search and visual recognition dominance. This move enables businesses to offer AI-powered customer interactions and visual product queries directly where customers already communicate, bypassing traditional search engines. While Meta AI is currently limited regionally, this direct access strategy has proven effective in Asia for market entries like PharmaResearch in Sephora Singapore. The risk lies in user adoption beyond early testers, especially if the AI's utility doesn't consistently deliver on diverse queries. We must now observe the rollout speed and the specific AI capabilities available in Asian markets.

Sarah Chen

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