LONDON: WhatsApp announced a software update on Thursday that allows users to react to a message with emoji, as well as share files that are up to 2GB in size, a massive jump from the previous 100MB limit.
Other improvements include doubling the maximum size of group chats from 256 to 512.
While WhatsApp’s parent company Meta said last month that the features would be coming “soon,” many were already present in competing social media apps, such as Telegram and Slack.
The message reactions and increased file size limits are available in the current version of the app, and users will have them shortly, if not already.
Larger groups will arrive more “slowly,” according to a WhatsApp spokesperson.
“We’re excited to share that emoji reactions are now available on the latest version of the app. Reactions are fun, fast and they reduce overload in groups, too. We’ll continue improving them by adding an even broader range of expressions in the future,” a WhatsApp statement read.
For now, WhatsApp will support six emoji as reactions — Thumbs Up, Red Heart, Face with Tears of Joy, Face with Open Mouth, Crying Face, and Folded Hands.
The tech giant has mentioned in the past that it plans to support all emoji and skin tones in the future.
