How to get more smileys on whatsapp
How to Get New Emojis on Android
Emojis make any conversation more vibrant because they perfectly capture our emotions. Nothing says I’m dying of laughter more than a good old Rolling on the Floor Laughing emoji.
But emojis are being updated all the time, and you don't want to get left behind. Fortunately, there are ways to add new emojis to your Android phone, make your own emojis, or even use the ones from iOS.
Here is how to update emojis on Android devices.
1. Update to the Latest Android Version
Each new version of Android brings new emojis. Android 11, for example, introduced 117 brand-new characters, while the more than 2,000 previously available emojis also got new designs in an additional Android emoji update. Always update your Android device since there's a high chance it will also update your keyboard emojis.
Not sure if your Android device has received this update? Here’s what you can do:
- In your phone’s menu, tap Settings, then go to About Phone.
On some devices, you need to first pass through System. Then, tap the software version, which will tell you what Android update you are on. If you’re not on the latest one, proceed to the next step.
- Go to Settings once again. Tap About Phone and check if there is an available update. Then, tap the update button and hit Install. Make sure you are connected to Wi-Fi or any mobile internet connection.
- To check if the update was successful, go to any messenger app. While typing, try to look for something like the Ninja or the Black emoji on the Android version; both are new relatively new.
Of course, not every Android phone manufacturer is good with software updates, so this may not be available to you. Fortunately, there are other things you can try.
2. Use Emoji Kitchen
2 Images
Google’s native keyboard app, Gboard, features the Emoji Kitchen, which makes it easy to get new emojis on Android.
It allows users to generate mashups of their stickers. Here’s how you can create a new emoji using this too:
- Open your preferred messaging app, such as Facebook Messenger.
- Next, tap on one of your contacts to start a conversation.
- Tap on the text bar to begin typing.
- Next, tap on the emoji button (the one with a smiley face) shown inside the keyboard and not near the message input area. Select the emoji of your choice to activate the Emoji Kitchen feature.
- From here, you can see possible emoji combinations on top of your keyboard. Swipe through the stickers and select the one you want to send.
Note that not all messaging apps will support the new Emoji Kitchen feature. Additionally, check out our guide explaining the meanings of various emoji faces.
3. Install a New Keyboard
2 Images
Another approach you can use to get new emojis is to install a third-party Android emoji keyboard.
Like the Emoji Keyboard, some of these apps even come with an icon dictionary, so you can easily check out the meaning of the emoji.
Moreover, the app also has a prediction feature and allows you to send stickers and GIFs to social media sites like Snapchat and Instagram.
Here is how you can install a third-party keyboard on your smartphone:
- On your phone’s menu, tap Google Play. On the search bar above, type in the keyboard app of your choice.
- Next, tap Install. If the keyboard app is not compatible with your phone, you can try other options.
- Wait until the download is done.
Some of the best third-party keyboard apps you can choose from include:
- Ginger (Free, in-app purchases available)
- Chrooma (Free, in-app purchases available)
- Fleksy (Free, in-app purchases available)
- Microsoft SwiftKey (Free)
These apps are great alternatives to Google’s keyboard app Gboard, which is installed on every phone.
Some device manufacturers, including Samsung, also pre-install their own keyboards, so check those out too.
4. Make Your Own Custom Emoji
3 Images
If you want your emojis to reflect your personality and taste, you can make your own customized emoji. The Google Play Store has dozens of emoji maker apps that you can install on your Android devices. You can even turn yourself into an emoji with Memoji.
To install an emoji maker on your phone, follow the same procedure as downloading your third-app keyboard. Bitmoji is one of the most popular custom emoji makers and also offers a huge library of stickers to customize.
Download: Bitmoji (Free)
If you're new to this app, here’s how to get more emojis on Android.
- After downloading the app, sign up with your email. If you already have an account, sign in using your credentials. You can also automatically register and log in using your Snapchat account.
- Next, select a gender for your Bitmoji avatar. You can also take a selfie and let the app generate an avatar that closely resembles the user or design one from scratch. You can even customize its clothing, hairstyle, skin color, and more.
- Once you're satisfied with your avatar, tap Save in the upper-right corner of your screen.
- Then, select Keyboard to open the Bitmoji Keyboard tab. After which, tap Turn on Keyboard > Enable in Settings and toggle on Bitmoji Keyboard on the next page.
- Once enabled, Bitmoji will give you an option to use it as your primary keyboard. Tap Switch Keyboard and select Bitmoji from the pop-up.
Now you can choose from several emojis with your face on them to send to your friends or loved ones via social media.
5. Use a Font Editor
3 Images
Apple’s iOS arguably has better emojis than Google’s Android.
If you want to use iOS emojis on your Android device, use a font editor like zFont. You can download this app via Google Play Store.
Download: zFont (Free)
After downloading the app, here is how to update emojis on Android:
- On the app's home screen, scroll down to the Emoji section. From here, you can download emoji files used by different online platforms like Windows, Facebook, WhatsApp, or JoyPixel.
- Tap See all to view all available emoji packages on zFont.
- Choose any of the latest iOS versions and tap Download on the Font Preview page to save it on your device. After the download has ended, it will show a preview of the new emojis.
- Tap Apply and select an installation method. We'll use via Theme, but you can pick any other option if it doesn't work on your device.
- Lastly, go to your phone’s settings, then hit Theme manager.
After which, apply the version which you just downloaded. Wait for a few minutes for the changes to apply.
Take note that font editors like zFont may not correctly show some fonts because of some compatibility issues. Additionally, the app has a lot of pop-up ads, and you can’t merge bitmap emoji fonts.
BONUS: Wait for Google to Add the New Emojis
Perhaps, the most straightforward way to get new emojis is to wait for Google to add them. Additionally, if you can't resist and want to be the first to get the new emojis, you can download and install the beta version of the Gboard app.
Whichever method you choose, it's quite easy to update your emojis. And installing a new keyboard comes with other benefits as well. Fortunately, it's straightforward to change your keyboard too.
What Version of Android Do I Have? Here's How to Tell
By Amir M. Bohlooli
Learn how to tell what version of Android you're running with this simple guide.
Android becomes more and more popular each year as new features keep rolling in with every upgrade. Aside from the new looks and features, a new version of Android also grants you access to new security patches and app compatibility, as support for older versions is gradually discontinued.
The version of your Android determines whether a specific feature is available on your phone or not, and it's also an important piece of information when you're trying to diagnose and resolve an issue. In some cases, the security update version, the kernel version, and other information are vital as well.
What Is Android?
Android is the operating system developed by Google for use on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. Essentially a modified Linux kernel, Android was first unveiled in 2007 and then used for the first time in the HTC Dream. Android has come a long way since then, with the latest version being Android 12.
Version | Name | Release Date |
Android 1. | - | February 9, 2009 |
Android 1.5 | Cupcake | April 27, 2009 |
Android 1.6 | Donut | September 15, 2009 |
Android 2.0 | Eclair | December 3, 2009 |
Android 2.2 | Froyo | May 20, 2010 |
Android 2.3 | Gingerbread | December 6, 2010 |
Android 3.0 | Honeycomb | February 22, 2011 |
Android 4.0 | Ice Cream Sandwich | October 18, 2011 |
Android 4.1 | Jelly Bean | July 9, 2012 |
Android 4.4 | KitKat | October 31, 2013 |
Android 5.0 | Lollipop | November 4, 2014 |
Android 6. | Marshmallow | October 2, 2015 |
Android 7.0 | Nougat | August 22, 2016 |
Android 8.0 | Oreo | August 21, 2017 |
Android 9.0 | Pie | August 6, 2018 |
Android 10 | - | September 3, 2019 |
Android 11 | - | September 8, 2020 |
Android 12 | - | October 4, 2021 |
1
0Related: How to Use Android Without Google
How to Tell What Version of Android You Have
The exact steps to finding out your Android version varies depending on your device and its manufacturer (phone manufacturer love using skins to make their UI stand out) but the overall steps are as below:
- Open the Settings app on your device.
This is accessible from the notification panel in newer Androids. You can also just search it in the app menu. - Inside Settings, scroll down to the bottom and select About phone. You can see an overview of your phone's Android version and also Android skin version, depending on what skin you have (OxygenOS is in the screenshot).
- Tap Android version for further information such as Android security update, Baseband version, Kernel version, and more.
- You can also rapidly tap the Android version number for a nice little easter egg. Though these unique easter eggs are available for Android 5.0 Lollipop and newer.
3 Images
If your Android version isn't the latest available for your phone, then it's a good idea to update your phone. Aside from the new features, there are two main reasons you should update your Android.
First, new versions of Android have stronger security, and second, Google and other developers gradually stop supporting older Android versions and these two combined leave your phone's security compromised.
To see if there's an update available to you, go to System > Advanced > System update.
Related: Google Apps Will No Longer Work on Old Android Phones
What's an Android Skin?
Androids skins, as the name implies, are skins designed by smartphone manufacturers to make the interface of their products differ from stock Android. Nearly all big Android smartphone manufacturers nowadays use skins to improve the user interface, though the degree of modification differs for each brand.
Skins usually change the way notifications appear, the looks of the menus, the notification panel, the dialer, and things of that sort. The modifications that a skin brings are usually limited to looks, and the backend core remains the same as the stock Android.
Here's a list of some smartphone manufacturers and the skins they use:
- Samsung: One UI
- OnePlus: OxygenOS (Global) | HydrogenOS (China)
- HTC: SenseUI
- Xiaomi: MIUI
- Huawei: HarmonyOS
- Oppo: ColorOS
You can check which version of your manufacturer's software you're running at Settings > About phone.
Know Your Android
Android has come a long way from its first versions and has become the most used mobile operating system worldwide. Android's different versions each have their own characteristics, and now you know how to check which version you have on your phone.
However, if the latest version of Android that you've got is glitchy, or you liked the previous one better, then perhaps you should downgrade your Android back to what it was before.
How to add new reactions to whatsapp. You can choose all the emojis in general
WhatsApp is not my favorite messenger. Despite the fact that I am registered there and even use it from time to time, this happens rather by force. In everyday life, I use Telegram, which I like much more. It is more intuitive, more convenient and simply more functional. Moreover, we are not talking about some isolated cases of superiority in the form of exceptions, but rather about the rule. Because in most cases, WhatsApp developers are forced not to set trends, but to reflect on innovations that appeared in Telegram .
True, there are holidays on the street users of WhatsApp .
WhatsApp lifted the restriction on the range of emojis available for response
If earlier the number of available options was six, now there are no restrictions at all. Moreover, unlike Telegram, which requires money for additional reactions , WhatsApp provides them all absolutely free of charge to all its users.
WhatsApp update for iOS
Yes, this is not a bug. Now you can respond to the message of your interlocutor in WhatsApp not only with a heart, thumbs up or poop, but with anything in general. Even the sun, even the flag of your native country, even a religious symbol, even a pregnant tragic man with dark skin. What to choose - depends solely on your personal wishes.
New reactions in WhatsApp appear only after the update that came out this week. However, for some reason, it does not appear in the list for automatic installation for many users, although it is available in the App Store itself.
So, we will be forced to update. After all, most of us don't want to wait. Especially since we are talking about such an interesting innovation.
❗️ CONNECT TO OUR YANDEX.ZEN AND READ THE MOST INTERESTING ARTICLES THAT DO NOT APPEAR ON SITE
- Follow this link and download the new version of WhatsApp;
- Start the messenger and select a chat with the desired interlocutor;
- Search the chat for the message you want to respond to;
WhatsApp allows you to respond to messages with any emoji
- Press and hold until the context menu appears;
- Click on the "+" in the reaction tab and select the desired emoji.
You can use additional reactions even if only the react one has been updated. All new emojis will appear in his chat. But the one whose messages are being reacted to will not have them until he installs the latest update on his smartphone. So don't be surprised if they ask you if you like new reactions and you don't see them.
This is fine. You just need to install an update.
Reactions in WhatsApp are new
Reactions in Telegram are more colorful, but the choice there is not as wide as in WhatsApp
Thanks to it, you can write the name of the desired reaction, or at least roughly describe it. The search works very well and understands even synonymous words and expressions. Therefore, not finding what you need will be quite problematic.
Why and who might need so many reactions is an open question. On the one hand, having a choice is, of course, good. But, on the other hand, it is highly likely that people will use a strictly limited set of emoji when responding to messages from their interlocutors, while the vast majority of available options will remain unused.
❗️ SUBSCRIBE TO OUR TELEGRAM CHAT. HERE YOU WILL BE ANSWERED TO ALL QUESTIONS ABOUT IPHONES AND NOT ONLY
However, I roughly understand why the WhatsApp developers allowed to use all emoji as reactions to messages .
The fact is that earlier Telegram launched a premium subscription, which, among other things, offered users additional reactions. But if in the messenger of Pavel Durov they were drawn specifically for reaction and had a specific animation, then in WhatsApp there is nothing like that.
The creators of WhatsApp clearly had the task of making it no worse, if not better. But since it was impossible to copy the idea of Telegram, it was decided not to focus on the beauty of the reactions, but to take the user in quantity. After all, animation is beautiful, but from a practical point of view it is absolutely useless. But the ability to choose any reaction without restrictions is worth something.
App StoreApp Reviews for iOS and MacApple tips
5 WhatsApp tricks for advanced users
Despite its apparent simplicity, the WhatsApp messenger is a very complex and multifunctional thing. Actually, this is what distinguishes professional solutions from all the others, when rich functionality lies behind apparent simplicity.
What exactly is the difference between an advanced WhatsApp user and a regular user? It uses features that other users don't. And below I will talk about 5 interesting WhatsApp features that will make you an advanced user.
Privacy
If you don't want people around you to know too much about you, then you should definitely take care of the safety of your personal information in WhatsApp so that people see only what you want to show them. And for this you need to go to the privacy settings and change them according to your preferences. For example, my privacy settings are set so that only people from my contact list can see personal data.
To open the privacy settings, on the "Contacts" tab, select the item from the three dots in the upper right corner, and then click on the "Settings" item in the pop-up menu. Then select "Account" → "Privacy".
Information about the message
After sending the message, you can see a couple of ticks next to the time of sending.
It's no secret that gray checkmarks mean "delivered" and blue "read." But when exactly was this or that message delivered and read by the recipient? After all, your interlocutor could easily receive a message at one time, and read it at another. And if you are interested in this information, then highlight the desired message with a long press and click on the button with the image of the letter (i) in a circle at the top of the screen.
In a new screen, you can see at what time the message was delivered, as well as at what time it was read by the interlocutor. Very convenient and simple.
Text decoration
Another useful thing that distinguishes an experienced user from a simple one is the visual design of the message text. With the help of simple actions, you can easily make text bold, italic or strikethrough.
* Bold text *
_ Italic text _
~Strikethrough text~
If you surround the message text or part of it with asterisks, the highlighted part will be in bold.
If you put an underscore instead of asterisks, then the font will be italic (oblique). If you use a squiggle, the font will become strikethrough. Everything is very simple.
More emoticons
Today hardly anyone can be surprised by the use of emoticons in WhatsApp. But not everyone knows about additional emoticons. If you look closely, there is a small triangle in the corner of the image of some emoticons, which is barely noticeable. It indicates that there is an additional selection below this image.
With a long press on such an emoticon, you can open an additional menu in which you can select exactly the same emoticons of men, but with different skin colors.
Group sending of private messages
Well, our review of WhatsApp chips ends with the ability to send several private messages at once at once. The thing is very useful when you need to warn several people about one thing, without creating a common group (where everyone can communicate with each other) and several identical messages.
