As text messages become a thing of the past, millions of people around the world choose to solely use WhatsApp to stay in touch with friends and family.

1-whatsapp-940.jpg

The much-loved messaging app has introduced a string of new features over the years, including expanding group chat sizes to over 500 participants and Snapchat-style disappearing photos.

Just months ago, the Meta-owned service introduced emoji reactions, allowing users to send one of six emojis in response to the sender’s message.

Now, WhatsApp has listened to feedback from its fans, who asked for the ability to be able to react with any emoji of your choosing.

If you’re fed up with using a bland thumbs-up, or think the heart reaction’s a tad too full-on, read on to find out how to switch things up.

How to react with any emoji on WhatsApp in new app update

As with previous emoji reactions on WhatsApp, all you need to do to react with any emoji is long press on the message you wish to react to. You’ll then see the menu with all six original emoji reactions, followed by a ‘plus (+)’ icon.

When you tap on the plus icon, you’ll see the option to choose all of the emojis in the emoji library.

From the newer options of the melting smiley or the scared emoji hiding behind a hand – for the more awkward moments – to a hand gesture or the fire emoji, you now have more choice than ever.

Perfect for if you’re trying to draw a conversation to a close or convey your feelings, the feature has already proven to be popular among app users.

In addition to a huge range of emojis, you’ll also be able to choose the skin tone variation of your reaction emoji – when applicable.

The added feature is gradually rolling out for users around the world, so if the additional option isn’t there yet check to see if your app needs updating. If that doesn’t work, you may need to just be patient – eye roll.