WhatsApp unveils its 21 new lockdown-themed emojis, adds support of up to 8 people in group calls
The number one messaging app has some exciting new updates for us.
Amidst this global pandemic, WhatsApp has kept us connected with our family, friends, and the rest of the world while we are staying at home.
Since social distancing is highly encouraged, texting and calls have now been a new way of getting in touch with other people.
And here to make the situation light and fun, WhatsApp has unveiled 21 new lockdown-themed emojis.
Alongside it, is the support of the number of participants in a group call – up to 8 people.
Read: Coronavirus misinformation plagues WhatsApp users
WhatsApp’s new 21 lockdown-themed emojis
It sounds like fun.
WhatsApp is deepening its collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) as everyone fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
The Facebook-owned messaging app has introduced a new set of stickers to help people stay connected with their loved ones in this lockdown in the most fun way.
On its official blog, WhatsApp said:
We hope people enjoy using these stickers to check-in on loved ones, particularly those feeling isolated, alone, and scared. This pack offers creative ways to remind people to wash their hands, maintain distance, exercise, and importantly celebrate medical heroes as well as the personal heroes in all of our lives.
The sticker pack contains illustrations displaying life in isolation. This includes the following:
- Two friends high fiving without touching with the caption “air high five”
- A phone having a video call with four friends
- A person doing yoga with their dog
- A hand holding a smiling bar of soap
- A medical professional wearing blue scrubs, a stethoscope, a facemask, and a superhero cape
How to access the new stickers?
Now, you do you feel like using these stickers?
Accessing them is very plain and simple. All you need to do is to go to your WhatsApp app on your device and enter a conversation thread you have with someone.
Or better yet, start a new one.
Then, in the space where you’re supposed to compose your message, you should see an outline of a smiley face emoji.
Tap it and at the bottom of the screen you will see three icons – a smiley face for normal emojis, GIF button, and the last is a square with the bottom right-hand corner folded upwards.
Once you click the square with the folded area and you will be taken to the stickers section. Next, click on the plus icon with a green notification dot on the upper right-hand corner of the keyboard.
Here is where you will find all the sticker packs WhatsApp has to offer. At the very top, you should see the ‘Together at Home’ pack, which will have a “new” notification on it.
Finally, the download button is located next to it. If you fancy this sticker pack, go ahead and download it straight to your phone.
When you go back to the Stickers section, you should see the pack available to use. Try it out and send it to your family and friends.
It’s very easy, right?
WhatsApp will soon add support to more people in group calls
Messaging services – that is what WhatsApp is known for.
The sticker pack is not only what WhatsApp has in store for us.
The app is now competing with other services such as Zoom, Duo, and many more (usage of such services has dramatically increased in this lockdown period).
The messaging app has now added support to more people in group calls – up to 8 people.
Imagine being able to more family members and friends in just one call. How amazing is that?
Initially reported by WABetaInfo, the Facebook-owned messaging app is rolling out this feature in its beta versions of iOS (2.20.50.25) and Android (2.20.133) worldwide.
Many users have already reported the availability of the feature in their smartphones.
At the moment, it is still not clear when this feature will land on stable versions of iOS and Android.
But one thing’s for sure though, with over 2 billion WhatsApp users, it’s easier to take advantage of this new feature to connect with friends and family in this period of lockdown.