WhatsApp may be the most ubiquitous of all the messaging apps, but in terms of features, it is quite behind in some aspects. One of the more notable feature that the now Meta subsidiary does not currently have is animated emoji. But it looks like that’s what the messaging service is working on.
WABetaInfo reports that the company is currently developing animated emoji for WhatApp desktop beta. It will reportedly work in a similar way as it does on rival messaging service Telegram, that is, some emoji will be animated by default when used. Though for now, it is unclear if there will be a toggle to turn this off for those who prefer a simpler messaging experience.
The report notes that the WhatsApp animated emoji are made using Lottie, which is noted as a space efficient file format and optimised for mobile devices. Which is great, since that’s where the bulk of these will be used for the most part. Though in that same note, the option to turn it off will be appreciated.
Considering that this feature is still under development, it will be awhile before it makes an appearance to the general WhatsApp user population. Despite being in development, it’s not known as of yet when this will make it to users of the beta versions of the apps, but only that it will at some point. Then it’s another unknown period of time before the general user base finally gets the animated emoji. Of course, all this is assuming the company does intend to finally make this a feature for its user base.
(Source: WABetaInfo)
