Telegram is WhatsApp’s closest rival, but is nowhere yet close to being the market leader in communication apps. WhatsApp is steaming ahead at full speed, with plenty of recent updates, including expected changes to the interface for voice calls and potential shortcuts for quick replies. Telegram is trying to keep pace with them. Now, another new development from the app seems to be in the works.
A source has shared that the company is planning to add animated emoji message reactions to its list of features. The change was spotted on the Telegram iOS beta via a Reddit thread. These 11 upcoming emoji reactions would help users to be more expressive. They include the thumbs up and thumbs down emojis, as well as the heart, party hat, and poop emojis. There are also a few more animated symbols that depict laughter and fire.
Telegram is adding newer features like its rival WhatsApp, and has shown no signs of slowing down. Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Considering that over 10 billion emojis are sent every single day, and Telegram has over 1 billion downloads only on Android, it is safe to say that these changes would be appreciated in a huge way. While it is nothing new, considering that these reactions were previously seen on Discord and the Apple iMessage platforms, the development was nevertheless appreciated by users on Reddit.
Meanwhile, the platform is also developing a new text format to prevent movie spoilers. A screenshot from a Reddit thread has shown that the text could be replaced with moving pixels, which could help users to choose which messages to see. Some users are instead asking Telegram to gray out messages, although both options would work well. This could be a useful feature, which should be implemented by the likes of Twitter, where movie spoilers are widely available.