What you need to know
- WhatsApp Beta for Windows now supports reacting to messages with emojis.
- The same functionality was already available on the iOS and Android versions of WhatsApp.
- With the feature, users can select between one of five emojis, but they cannot customize which ones are presented as options.
The Windows version of WhatsApp Beta is catching up to its Android and iOS counterparts, at least when it comes to one feature. The latest build of the app supports reacting to messages with emojis. The option is not part of a controlled rollout. Instead, it is available to all people using WhatsApp Beta version 2.2223.11.0, according to Neowin.
Emoji reactions aren't new to social media apps. In addition to WhatsApp supporting them on Android and iOS, they're also available on a long list of other platforms, such as Microsoft Teams.
WhatsApp's implementation is a bit limited when compared to its competitors. Users can only choose between one of five emojis for a reaction on WhatsApp. There doesn't appear to be any way to customize which five emojis appear as options either.
The five emojis that are available as reactions are: thumbs up, heart, crying, shock, sadness, and prayer hands. Those convey a range of emotions, but it would be nice to be able to select a different set of five.
Earlier this year, WhatsApp released a different emoji-related feature. Back in April, the company added an emoji shortcut feature that shows relevant emojis when typing messages. Users can make the shortcuts appear by typing a colon followed by a word, such as ":hello" to see a waving hand. That feature was also previously available for other versions of WhatsApp but later made its way to the UWP edition.
