The instant messaging platform WhatsApp, owned by Meta, is reportedly developing a new feature that will allow users to send animated emojis. This feature has been identified in the beta version of WhatsApp for desktop, enhancing the messaging experience similarly to what is offered by platforms like Telegram and Slack, which already support animated emojis. Plans are also underway to introduce this feature in future updates for WhatsApp beta on both iOS and Android devices, as revealed by a feature tracker.
A report from WABetaInfo, a WhatsApp feature tracking site, indicates that these animated emojis will be generated using content from the Lottie animation library. Once this functionality is rolled out, the animated emojis will be sent by default, and they are designed to be lightweight and resizable without any degradation in quality.
The development of the animated emoji feature was noted in a beta version of WhatsApp Desktop. However, there is no specific timeline for its release, and beta users currently do not have access to try out these new animations. The feature tracker mentioned that similar updates will come to the WhatsApp beta versions on iOS and Android in the future.
In a recent update, WhatsApp introduced support for Unicode 15.0 emojis to a select group of beta testers on Android. This update includes 21 new emojis that users can access by downloading WhatsApp beta version 2.23.5.13 or later from the Google Play Store.
Additionally, WhatsApp has rolled out three new security features for users on both Android and iOS platforms. These features, dubbed ‘Account Protect’, ‘Device Verification’, and ‘automatic security codes’, aim to enhance user safety. ‘Device Verification’ is particularly intended to thwart malware installations, while ‘Account Protect’ will notify users attempting to migrate accounts from one device to another, according to the Meta-owned messaging service.
