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WhatsApp Expands Emoji Reactions for Further Messaging Expressiveness

Now people can react to a WhatsApp message with any emoji instead of the standard six previously available.

Nina Raemont Writer
A recent graduate of the University of Minnesota, Nina started at CNET writing breaking news stories before shifting to covering Security Security and other government benefit programs. In her spare time, she's in her kitchen, trying a new baking recipe.
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Nina Raemont
A grid of more than 60 emoji, including smiley faces and hand gestures

Use any emoji to react to a WhatsApp message. 

 Screenshot by Zoey Chong/CNET

People can respond to a WhatsApp message with any emoji under the sun thanks to a new update, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a Facebook post on Monday. The update will start rolling out shortly, and should be available to all WhatsApp users in the next few weeks. 

To use the newest feature, continuously press on the message you'd like to react to until the emoji bar pops up. The bar will include a plus sign, allowing people to go beyond the standard six emoji and react with whichever one they desire. 

WhatsApp announced updates to the app, like Communities and emoji reactions, in April in response to messaging app competitors like Telegram.

Facebook, which last year rebranded itself as Meta, bought WhatsApp in 2014. Meta didn't immediately respond to a request for further comment.