WhatsApp will now allow users to react to messages with any emoji, in an expansion of its reaction feature that came out last year. It’s coming to iOS and Android over the coming weeks, and it brings more personalization to one of the world’s most used messaging apps.
Once you get the update, the emoji reactions will work as they do now, with a long press bringing up the basic six options with the incision of a new plus button. Pressing that plus icon will show you the new expanded set of emojis, and you’ll be able to add whatever emoji you want. This includes skin tone variations, family types, and more.
… all emoji Reactions are here! We’re feeling 🤩😎🙌🤸🎉💚 about it.
Starting to roll out now to Android and iOS pic.twitter.com/Opk7x0n0VP
— WhatsApp (@WhatsApp) July 11, 2022
WhatsApp’s new emoji options aren’t out of the blue. Meta brought the same feature set to its Facebook Messenger service a while ago, so it’s simply pulling both services into sync. In contrast, Apple’s iMessage and Google’s Messages app only allow for six reactions, while Telegram has a more expansive selection but falls below Facebook’s offerings.
Though easy to dismiss as trite, emoji reactions are fun and add an extra layer of personality that’s often lost when communicating via text and not face to face. They’re also pretty useful in replying to messages that don’t need much acknowledgment other than “got it.” The expansion of emoji now adds an even further touch of personality, and I can’t wait to get it on my phone.
You can grab the new update from the App and Play Stores respectively when it’s available over the next couple of weeks.
Two new highly requested iCloud plugins just got added to ChatGPT, giving people who rely on Apple’s Mail and Calendar services a way to search emails, check appointments, and manage their schedules directly through the chatbot.
The integration is rolling out to all ChatGPT plans, including the free tier. You can access it on the web, desktop, and iOS.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.
Samsung’s scandal over its Game Optimizing Service, or GOS, has returned with a bill attached. South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission has tentatively fined the company 20.1 billion won, or about $15.1 million, over gaming claims made for the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S22, and Tab S8.
The regulator says Samsung promoted the devices as gaming powerhouses without disclosing that GOS placed preset CPU and GPU limits on certain demanding games. Samsung disputes that conclusion, calling GOS a legitimate way to manage heat.