WhatsApp just upgraded its emoji reactions and I want them now

By Michael Allison July 11, 2022

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.

Since you asked…

… 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.

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Nothing’s iMessage for Android app is unbelievably bad

The Nothing Chats splash page in the app.

Earlier this week, Nothing did the unexpected and launched the "Nothing Chats" app for the Nothing Phone 2. The premise? Let anyone with a Nothing Phone 2 send and receive texts via iMessage. Nothing partnered with Sunbird to make Nothing Chats work, with Nothing essentially using Sunbird's own messaging tech to bring iMessage to Android.

It was a bold idea ... but one that was short-lived. That's because Nothing Chats is already dead (for the time being) due to a shocking number of security vulnerabilities that were discovered almost immediately. And by security vulnerabilities, we don't mean minor oversights that could have been easy to overlook. We're talking about major, game-breaking design flaws that massively compromise the personal information of anyone who used Nothing Chats.
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Nothing Chats app on a. phone.

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Technically, the Sunbird app can be installed on any Android phone and it features a blue bubble for all iMessage text exchanges involving an Android phone. No more green bubble shame that could get you kicked out of groups for disrupting the harmony or even slim your dating chances. That’s how bad it is!
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The app is currently in the beta phase, which means some iMessage features will be broken or absent. Once the app is downloaded on your Nothing Phone 2, you can create a new account or sign up with your Apple ID to get going with blue bubble texts.
Just in case you’re concerned, all messages will be end-to-end encrypted, and the app doesn’t collect any personal information, such as the users’ geographic location or the texts exchanged. Right now, Sunbird and Nothing have not detailed the iMessage features and those that are broken.
We made iMessage for Android...
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However, message editing is apparently not available, and a double-tap gesture for responding with a quick emoji doesn’t work either. We don’t know when these features will be added. Nothing's Sunbird-based app will expand to other territories soon.
Sunbird, however, offers a handful of other tricks aside from serving the iMessage blue bubble on Android. It also brings all your other messaging apps, such as WhatsApp and Instagram, in one place. This isn’t an original formula, as Beeper offers the same convenience.

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