For WhatsApp users who have ever wished for a "middle finger emoji" to convey their emotions, the wait is over. Now, users of the mobile messaging app on Android devices get treated to this emoji, which is offered in an array of skin tones, along with other new features.
WhatsApp has revealed it is making available to its Android users added features, which include new emojis, custom notifications, as well as a new "low data" mode for phone calls.
Apart from the middle finger emoji, the app also offers the Vulcan salute from Star Trek available in different skin tones as well. The Vulcan salute emoji, reports say, is also supported on iOS.
Earlier this summer, netizen Stephen Wilkinson revealed the news on Twitter: "There is a new, hidden feature in the latest WhatsApp update for Android... [T]hey've created an 'up yours' (middle finger) emoji."
@Amy_Willis There is a new, hidden feature in the latest WhatsApp update for Android
— Stephen Wilkinson (@wilkotwig) July 23, 2015
With the new custom notification settings, WhatsApp users are allowed to set different notifications for the different chats they are in. Additionally, users can mute specific conversations. This feature was only possible with group chats.
Users can also mute individuals in group chats. They can mute chats for eight hours, a week or even a year, as Tech Times reported before.
In a bid to attract more people into its platform, WhatsApp has also introduced its "low data usage" mode for those who want to use the app to make voice calls, reducing the amount of data used during the call. The feature is believed to be beneficial for people who often make calls through the application.
Meanwhile, reports say using the middle finger emoji could land the user in jail when using it in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as the nation has recently passed a Cyber Crime Law that can fine natives up to AED250,000, or about $68,000, for swearing or sending insults through messaging apps, email, as well as social media. A traveler or an expatriate, however, could face deportation if found guilty of violating the law. Authorities in the UAE, according to a report, have already warned users that sending a middle finger emoji would be punishable under the new law.
A study from GlobalWebIndex reveals that three-quarters of WhatsApp users are on Android, while 22 percent of the users are on iOS, which could perhaps explain why WhatsApp has decided to roll out new features for Android devices first.
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