Facebook has launched two new emojis in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. One image is a smiling face-hugging a heart. The other is a purple heart.
The new emojis are available for both the Facebook Messenger app and the main Facebook app. Facebook technology communications manager Alexandru Voica announced the release of the new emojis on Twitter on April 17. Voica tweeted, “We’re launching new Care reactions on @facebookapp and @Messenger as a way for people to share their support with one another during this unprecedented time. We hope these reactions give people additional ways to show their support during the #COVID19 crisis.” Voica said that the emojis would become widely available by the end of April 2020.
Messenger is rolling out a pulsating heart Reaction today so people can show extra love and care to their friends and family.
To update the reaction, you can press and hold down the heart reaction to view the new one. To change it back, press and hold the new Reaction again.
Accessing the new emojis is simple:
If you want to put a hug or purple heart on a Facebook post. Hold down on the “Like” button and wait until the emoji options appear. You should see the smiling face-hugging a heart and the purple heart options there.
The emojis may not be available to all Facebook users immediately but they will get there. If the options still aren’t appearing, try updating your Facebook app and your Facebook Messenger app. If the options still don’t appear, then I’m afraid you will have to play the waiting game. Alexandru Voica, or any Facebook employee, has made any statement indicating that either the smiling face-hugging a heart or purple heart options would not be available in certain countries.
A message on most Facebook.com homepages on the morning of May 1 read, “We’ve added a new reaction so you can show extra support while many of us are apart. We hope this helps you, your family and your friends feel a bit more connected.”
The Hugging Emoji Has Been Compared to a ‘Last-Minute Valentine’s Day Gift’
In their report on the new emojis, Search Engine Journal compared the smiley face-hugging a heart emoji to a “last-minute Valentine’s Day gift.” The article reads, “It is very similar to a stuffed bear with a heart, which is a symbol of a last-minute Valentine’s Day gift.”
This Is the First Emoji Addition to the Like Button Since 2016
GettyFacebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has long championed more options from Facebook’s menu bar.
Facebook last added additions to their Like option in 2016. That revelation allowed users to offer more nuanced emoji opinions on their friends’ posts. Just prior to the release of the new options, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the offering of emoji reaction was because “not every moment is a good moment.”
Facebook said in a blog post in March 2020 that amid the coronavirus pandemic and quarantine, usage of their products, especially the Messenger app, had increased dramatically. The blog post said that there had been a 50 percent increase in messages sent across the company’s Messenger app.
On April 22, Facebook’s head of health Kang-Xing Jin said in a blog post that keeping people connected was one of the company’s key strategies during the coronavirus pandemic.
READ NEXT: Teenage Porn Star Controversy Rocks California High School