Whatsapp rolls out emoji reactions, increases group size and file sharing limits

WhatsApp is now allowing users to respond to messages with emojis. This is among a number of changes the Meta-owned platform is making. Last month, Meta, the company behind WhatsApp, stated that these functionalities would be available “soon”.

Another significant update will satisfy anyone who enjoys sending pin-sharp high-resolution images or 4K movies of themselves to friends, since WhatsApp has increased the maximum file size that can be sent across the network from 100MB to 2GB. That’s a significant gain, and it should put an end to the misery of compressing files before transferring them across the internet.

WhatsApp is recommending its billions of users to transmit and receive these larger files when connected to Wi-Fi to help consumers manage their precious mobile data. The company has also added a counter while uploading or downloading to let users know how long their transfer will take.

Moreover, groups will now accomodate upto 512 members, a double from the previous 256.

“One of the top requests we’ve consistently received is the option to add more people to a chat, so now we’re slowly rolling out the ability to add up to 512 people to a group. Building private, safe, and secure communities takes work and we think this series of improvements will help people and groups stay close to one another.” the company said.