Facebook Messenger now lets you send “Soundmojis” (emojis with audio)
Probably as part of Facebook’s new love affair with all things audio, you will now be able to send emojis with sound or what they call Soundmojis for those times when a simple emoji will not suffice. You can choose from among their growing library of these audio emojis and recipients will receive not just the actual emoji but the accompanying sound as well. A lot of people communicate with just emojis rather than words so this new addition will add another layer to how we “talk” on Messenger.
Facebook started rolling out the Soundmoji on World Emoji Day of course. This new feature will help reinforce the expression that we already probably understand just from the emoji and for those that love audio to accompany visuals, this is a fun new way to communicate. Some of the more popular Soundmojis you can choose from include clapping hands, crickets chirping, cry-laugh, etc. They have also included audio clips from pop culture including from shows like Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Bridgerton and movies like F9.
To send a Soundmoji, tap on the smiley face icon in a Messenger conversation then tap on the loudspeaker icon. If you’re not seeing the icon yet, you probably don’t have the feature yet. But if you do, tap on it and you’ll see the library of Soundmojis to choose from. You can preview the sound effect first before sending just to make sure it’s the right one you mean to send. The recipient will receive an emoji but they’ll know it’s a Soundmoji because of the “soundwave” icon.
Facebook has been pushing audio content on the platform, bringing things like Live Audio Rooms and beta testing audio clips on users’ news feed. This comes after the success of podcasts and apps like Clubhouse which proved that digital users now are also consuming audio content heavily as it takes up less bandwidth. It can also be consumed while doing other things like chores, browsing the web, or even just resting on the couch.
Soundmojis seem to be rolling out globally although not everyone seems to be seeing the loudspeaker icon just yet. Update your Messenger to the latest version just to be sure.
