WhatsApp will soon introduce the fingerprint authentication and redesigned emojis, but before that, they have just been rolled out in the latest beta version (2.19.21) which can be installed if you are in the Google Play Beta Program.
According to WABetaInfo’s recent post, WhatsApp has been improving 357 emojis in the 2.18.384 beta update, which was immediately replaced by another update – version 2.19.21.
Looking at some of the emojis listed in the photo below, you will not see many changes – some are very small, and others have had their colors changed.
We’ve spotted that most of them have rounded corners (the eyes), but the photo above has many emojis that seem to look the same…
WhatsApp Fingerprint and Facial Recognition
Aside from the new emoji design, the messaging app should also get in the version 2.19.21 the two authentication systems: fingerprint and facial recognition. At the moment, the feature is not yet released – but it has been enabled in this update, which means that when the authentication feature is ready, you will receive it with a stable version of 2.19.21.
When you activate this feature, it will function just like an app locker but will help you get rid of any thirds party apps that add this feature to WhatsApp. When you want to open the app, you will have to either scan the finger or use the selfie camera for authentication.
According to WABetaInfo’s Twitter post on 23 January, the 2.18.384 version has introduced a sticker search feature that is actually a bug and hasn’t yet been fixed in the 2.19.21 beta update. If you use the sticker search, it will fail and disappear:
If you open WhatsApp the first time and the last used tab is “Stickers”, the button will appear. It will disappear if you switch tab.
This trick has been tested on 2.19.18 and 2.19.6 Business.
As for when we’ll see the authentication feature, changes, and the new emojis, we’d say you won’t have to wait too much. They will soon implement them and release an update once they manage to make it stable.
Nora Reynolds is a major in biology and a minor in Biological Basis of Behavior, writing about science in general. She also likes to try new gadgets and sports about the AI new era.
