WhatsApp has updated its emoji reactions feature to let people use any emoji they want.

The feature – itself relatively new – allowed people to react to messages without clogging up the chat. Users can choose an emoji and have it show under the message itself.

Until now, that meant one of six emoji: a thumbs up, a heart, a crying laughing face, a shocked one, a tearful one, or the praying hands. They were broadly similar to those offered on Facebook.

Now, however, users will be able to choose from the entire emoji keyboard. Users will also be able to select the skin tone for those emoji.

It brings the app in line with other rival chat apps, such as Slack, which have long offered such emoji reactions.

Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive of Meta parent company WhatsApp, announced the update on Facebook. He said the tool was “rolling out”, and gave no indication of when it would arrive.

He offered very little further information on the feature beyond listing his favourites. Some – the robot and surfing emoji – appeared to be references to the various jokes that people make about Mr Zuckerberg.

When it does, users will likely have to update their app to get the new feature, or wait for it to do so automatically. New updates rarely require any other input from the user.