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Funky new emoji update is coming to WhatsApp that will add a touch of fun to chats with friends, a leak suggests
WhatsApp is working on a new feature that will allow users to express themselves in a different way, according to a leak.
Animated emojis are reportedly coming soon to iOS, Android and desktop versions of the platform, though it’s uncertain when exactly.
The upcoming feature was discovered by independent WhatsApp experts WABetaInfo, who posted a GIF of the new emoji in action.
It shows the “Face with Party Horn and Party Hat” emoji spinning while blowing a party horn.
It follows the introduction of a new WhatsApp feature that lets you video call up to eight people from your desktop.
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“WhatsApp is working to bring animated emojis to a future app update,” says WABetaInfo in the update.
The ability to send animated emojis is under development and will be released in a future WhatsApp Desktop beta update.
“This cosmetic enhancement to the app will definitely improve the user experience while sending messages to make messaging more fun and convey feelings more effectively.”
According to the report, animated emojis are sent by default when the animated version of a given emoji is available.
But this may mean WhatsApp users won’t be able to disable the animation if they want to use the default, static emoji.
MailOnline has reached out to Meta — Mark Zuckerberg’s company that owns WhatsApp as well as Facebook and Instagram — for comment.
WABetaInfo predicts that animated emojis will be a distraction for some users who want a “simple messaging experience without unnecessary animations.”
It has called on Meta developers to include the ability to toggle animated emoji on and off in WhatsApp settings so that the platform’s 2 billion users can still use regular emoji if they choose.
WhatsApp is working on a new feature that will allow users to express themselves in a different way, according to a leak
One of WhatsApp’s main rivals, Telegram, already has animated emojis, leading to accusations from some users on Twitter that WhatsApp is “stealing” the idea.
Animated emojis are also already on Messages from Google and iMessage, the messaging service developed by Apple.
WhatsApp – which regularly introduces new features and tools in the app to optimize the user experience – made three major changes in February.
The former allows WhatsApp users to send up to 100 photos or videos at a time in a given chat, compared to just 30 before.
It means WhatsApp users no longer have to spend time sending large amounts of media through the app to friends and family.
Android users can also now include longer group chat names and descriptions, and even add captions when sending documents.
It follows news that WhatsApp could potentially be banned in the UK for using a security standard known as end-to-end encryption.
End-to-end encryption ensures that only the two participants in a chat can read messages, and no one in between – not even the company that owns the service.
But some argue it has made it more difficult for security services and other organizations – such as child protection charities – to detect criminal activity.
The UK government is currently considering new legislation that could force WhatsApp and other chat platforms to break end-to-end encryption, as part of the Online Safety Bill.
Messaging services that use it, including WhatsApp, Signal, Viber, and Element, have a open letter oppose the online safety bill ahead of its final reading in the House of Lords, which is yet to come.
“The UK government urgently needs to reconsider and revise the bill to encourage businesses to provide more privacy and security to its citizens, not less,” said Will Cathcart, head of WhatsApp at Meta, along with six other signatories in the letter.