Facebook Messenger launches new Soundmojis feature

Now users can respond to a message with an emoji that plays sounds

Facebook has launched a new feature for Messenger called Soundmojis. Courtesy Facebook

To celebrate World Emoji Day on Saturday, Facebook Messenger has launched a new feature called Soundmojis.

These are sound effects such as crickets, clapping and a drumroll that can now be used in response to a message, and shows up as an emoji with sound, which means no words are displayed.

However, this new feature isn’t limited to a simple sound effect, but also includes audio clips from TV shows and movies such as Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Bridgerton, as well as songs popular on TikTok.

“We’re launching an entire Soundmoji library for you to choose from, which we’ll update regularly with new sound effects and famous sound bites. Each sound is represented by an emoji, keeping the visual emojis we all love in play, while bringing sound into the mix,” Facebook said in a post announcing the news.

Currently there are 23 choices available on Facebook Messenger.

But how exactly did Facebook choose the sounds they wanted to include in the new feature?

“We focused on creating a library of fun, delightful sounds that would be easily understood and used by people around the world in a variety of situations, such as chirping crickets and clapping/cheering, as well as references to pop culture such as lyrics from Rebecca Black’s Friday," a spokesperson for Facebook said.

Here's how to find Soundmojis:

1. Go to the Messenger app and start a chat
2. Tap the smiley face to access the expressions tray
3. Select the loudspeaker icon
4. Preview and then send your favorite Soundmojis

Emoji trends

Ahead of World Emoji Day, Facebook has also revealed new trends in the Mena region including the top five emojis used. They are: face with tears of joy, red heart, black heart, birthday cake and cherries.

Facebook also revealed that, worldwide, women created more posts containing emojis than men. Interestingly, the use of the rose and fire emojis are more popular among men than women. The face throwing a kiss emoji is the stand out popular common emoji for women across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.