WhatsApp’s emoji offering about to get a whole lot better

11 Feb 2016

If you’re on Android 6.0.1 then your emoji game is about to improve dramatically, with WhatsApp rolling out a new suite of characters.

WhatsApp is a fairly dominant free messaging tool, made popular by its simple, clear and attractive design, it’s immediacy and the ease with which we can use it.

It also has emojis, loads of them, but sometimes there’s just not enough. So WhatsApp started upping its game last year with a tranche of new emojis on iOS, and on beta versions of an Android update.

Now, it seems, the full rollout is beginning. Android Police announced the news first, it seems, although fears are that the new emojis will only be available on Android 6.0.1, far beyond my HTC Desire’s cumbersome ability.

Emoji Android WhatsApp

The new layout of emojis on WhatsApp, via Android Police

Version 2.12.441 of WhatsApp will reorganise your emoji tray, with a few new sections and fun inclusions like upside-down face, robot face a popcorn box and a heart exclamation mark.

There’s also now a new section just for flags, and hearts are included under symbols instead of people and faces

It’s a long time coming, too, with iOS 9.1 enjoying the same new suite when it was launched last October. A beta version of Android has had these emoji for a while now, but this will be the first general rollout to users.

WhatsApp image via Endermasali/Shutterstock

Gordon Hunt was a journalist with Silicon Republic

editorial@siliconrepublic.com