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.
Users will now be able to use overlay emojis on each chat bubble. That means you can add quick thumbs up or love heart to a message rather than typing a reply.
“We’re excited to share that emoji reactions are now available on the latest version of the app,” the firm added.
“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.
We hope people enjoy these updates and look forward to sharing more throughout the year.”
It’s unclear when everyone will get this WhatsApp upgrade but it’s worth checking your device now to see if it’s arrived.
