A BETA version of WhatsApp emoji reactions has surfaced on the web this week.
The double-tap reaction feature has been available on the iPhone since iOS10 and has become part of standard digital messaging.
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Reactions can represent a range of emotions and meanings – it’s part of what makes digital communication quick, but up for misinterpretation.
The WhatsApp beta rumor reported by The Verge says the platform’s reactions will slightly differ from those offered on iMessage.
When iPhone users apply reactions, they don’t appear as emoji but rather as icons more comparable to standard text.
Encased in the same blue, white and gray colorwave, iOS reactions are simple but useful.
The WhatsApp reactions will have fully colored emoji and, based on a gif provided by WABetaInfo, will come with a more nuanced animation when they are applied.
WhatsApp is the latest app or device mimicking Apple’s Tapback reactions feature.
Google recently developed a programming tweak to ease communication between iPhone and Android users, with particular emphasis on emoji reactions.
Like WhatsApp, Google’s reactions are full fledged emoji as opposed to the iPhone’s more dull Tapbacks.
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WhatsApp’s new feature is not available everywhere just yet – experts assert that the beta testing group is very small.
But testers lucky enough to download WhatsApp beta for Android 2.22.8.3 will see six reactions at their disposal.
Meta is such a large company that sometimes it’s easy to forget they own WhatsApp and service over two billion users.
The company’s stock is back up over $200 but still down over 35% in the last six months – maybe WhatsApp’s emoji reactions will right the ship.
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