WhatsApp has broadened the range of emoji reactions available on the Apple Watch, now supporting the complete set of emojis found in watchOS. Here’s what you need to know.
WhatsApp enhances watchOS emoji reaction support
In late last year, WhatsApp introduced a full-featured Apple Watch app, adding capabilities like call notifications, voice messages, chat history, and emoji reactions.
The release was welcome news for Apple Watch users, especially since WhatsApp’s presence on watchOS had previously been quite limited, relying almost entirely on system notifications to read and respond to messages.
However, emoji reactions were initially restricted: users could only select from six preset emojis. To react with any other emoji, users had to reach for their iPhone.
Now, according to WABetaInfo, WhatsApp is rolling out support for the full range of emojis available on watchOS. While tapping and holding a message still brings up the six default reactions, users can now access a larger emoji picker featuring recently used options and the complete system emoji library organized into categories.
From WABetaInfo:
WhatsApp groups emojis into 8 categories: Smileys, Nature, Food, Activity, Travel, Objects, Symbols, and Flags. Users can scroll through these categories to find the emoji they want to use as a reaction. Tapping any emoji category expands the list. It’s also possible to select a recent emoji from the top of the list.
The site notes that while the feature is officially rolling out now, it may still take a few weeks to reach all users, as WhatsApp is known for its gradual rollouts.
To read WABetaInfo’s full report, follow this link.