After waiting for years, WhatsApp Inc. has finally introduced the emoji reactions feature in its WhatsApp chats and group conversations.
The new feature added means users will now be able to react to a message with an emoji as it is in iMessage, Facebook Messenger, Slack, and Telegram.
Spotted in early Feb by WABetaInfo, the new emoji reactions are now available in the beta version of WhatsApp on iOS and Android.
An image posted on Twitter shows a beta version of WhatsApp on iPhone with emojis below a message.
WhatsApp is readying message reactions (secured by end-to-end encryption) in a new upcoming update of WhatsApp beta for Android and iOS. ?
— WABetaInfo (@WABetaInfo) February 2, 2022???? pic.twitter.com/o9CMW6pnsN
Originally announced back in September last year, the emoji will now be chosen as a reaction with the limit put to only six – more in keeping with other messaging apps. The emoji reactions available are:
– Thumbs up
– Heart
– Laughing with tears smiley
– Surprised looking smiley
– Sad smiley with tear
– ‘Thankyou’ hands
In that older beta, shown above, the number next to the various reactions indicates how many people have reacted to that message, which is most useful in group chats where you can see who reacted with what. It’s unclear whether that will be in the final version.
If you react to a message and the person who wrote it running an older version of WhatsApp, they’ll see a message telling them that they’ve received a reaction and need to update their app.
That’s not all. Other features are in the works as well. There’s a new shortcut to stickers which appears to the left-hand side of a word you’re typing when it matches a sticker. Plus, privacy settings are being reworked to include ‘My Contacts Except…’ so that you can, for example, allow everyone to know when you were last seen using the app except specific people.
WhatsApp users more recently got the ability to send disappearing photos or videos, long after disappearing messages were added to the app.
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