WhatsApp, the ubiquitous messaging platform, is constantly evolving, adding new features and functionalities to enhance user experience. While the platform offers a range of emojis to express emotions, sometimes a simple, elegant white heart can convey a particular sentiment with greater subtlety and nuance. However, unlike other readily available emojis, sending a white heart on WhatsApp requires a few extra steps. This comprehensive guide will walk you through various methods to achieve this, catering to different devices and preferences. We’ll cover techniques involving Unicode characters, third-party apps, and creative workarounds, ensuring you can express yourself with the perfect white heart on WhatsApp.
Why a White Heart? Understanding the Symbolism
Before diving into the technical aspects, it’s important to understand why someone might prefer a white heart over the standard red or other colored hearts. The white heart emoji (🤍) often symbolizes purity, peace, innocence, and unconditional love. It can also represent sympathy, remembrance, or a fresh start. Its neutrality allows it to be used in various contexts, making it a versatile choice for expressing a range of emotions without the strong connotations of romantic love often associated with the red heart.
Method 1: Using Unicode Characters (The Most Reliable Method)
Unicode is a universal character encoding standard that assigns a unique code point to each character, symbol, and emoji. This method leverages Unicode to insert the white heart symbol directly into your WhatsApp messages. This method is generally the most reliable as it doesn’t rely on specific keyboard layouts or third-party apps and should work across most devices and operating systems.
Steps:
- Find the White Heart Unicode: The Unicode for the white heart emoji is U+1F90D.
- Access Character Map (Windows):
- Open the Start Menu.
- Type “Character Map” and press Enter.
- In the Character Map window, ensure the font is set to a font that supports Unicode emojis (e.g., Arial, Segoe UI Emoji).
- In the “Search for” box, type “1F90D” and press Enter.
- The white heart (🤍) should appear. Select it and click “Select” and then “Copy”.
- Open WhatsApp and paste the copied white heart into your message.
- Access Character Viewer (Mac):
- Press Command (⌘) + Control (Ctrl) + Spacebar simultaneously. This will open the Character Viewer.
- In the Character Viewer, search for “white heart”.
- Double-click the white heart (🤍) to insert it directly into your WhatsApp message.
- Using Online Unicode Copy-Paste Websites:
- Search on Google for “copy white heart emoji”.
- Several websites will appear that allow you to copy the white heart emoji.
- Simply copy the emoji from the website and paste it into your WhatsApp message. Some examples of these websites are: emojicopy.com, getemoji.com and copyemojis.com
- Using a Unicode Keyboard (Android & iOS): While not a direct method, some third-party keyboards offer direct Unicode input. You’ll need to research and install a keyboard app that supports this feature.
Method 2: Utilizing Keyboard Shortcuts (Limited Availability)
Some operating systems or keyboard layouts might have specific keyboard shortcuts for inserting emojis. However, a direct shortcut for the white heart emoji is not universally available. This method depends heavily on your system configuration and installed keyboard software.
Steps:
- Check Your Operating System’s Emoji Picker:
- Windows: Press the Windows key + . (period) or Windows key + ; (semicolon) to open the emoji picker. Search for “heart” and see if the white heart is available.
- Mac: Press Control + Command + Spacebar to open the Character Viewer (as described in Method 1).
- Custom Keyboard Shortcuts: Some advanced users might have configured custom keyboard shortcuts using third-party software. If you’ve done this, use your designated shortcut to insert the white heart.
Method 3: Third-Party Keyboard Apps (Android & iOS)
The Google Play Store (Android) and the App Store (iOS) offer a plethora of third-party keyboard apps that provide extended emoji support, including the white heart. These apps often come with additional features like custom themes, GIFs, and sticker integration.
Steps:
- Download and Install a Keyboard App:
- Search for keyboard apps like “Gboard”, “SwiftKey”, or “Emoji Keyboard” in your app store.
- Read reviews and choose an app with good ratings and a wide range of emoji support.
- Install the app and follow the on-screen instructions to enable it as your default keyboard.
- Access the Emoji Keyboard:
- Open WhatsApp and start typing a message.
- Tap the emoji icon on your keyboard (usually located near the space bar or enter key).
- Browse the emoji categories or use the search function to find the white heart emoji (🤍).
- Tap the white heart to insert it into your message.
Important Considerations When Choosing a Third-Party Keyboard:
- Privacy: Be cautious when granting permissions to keyboard apps, as they can potentially access everything you type. Choose reputable apps with a strong privacy policy.
- Performance: Some keyboard apps can be resource-intensive and may slow down your device. Test the app thoroughly before making it your default keyboard.
- Features: Consider the features that are important to you, such as custom themes, GIF support, and language options.
Method 4: Creating a White Heart with Symbols (Creative Workaround)
If you’re unable to find or insert the actual white heart emoji, you can create a visual representation using other symbols available on your keyboard. This method requires some creativity and may not be as visually appealing as the actual emoji, but it can be a fun alternative.
Steps:
- Use a combination of symbols: Experiment with symbols like ‘<', '3', '^', '_', and spaces to create a heart shape. You can also use parentheses and other punctuation marks to add detail.
- Examples:
- <3 (Simple heart)
- (^)_(^) (Heart with wings – more complex and needs good font support on recipient’s end)
- / \
| | (Very basic heart – ASCII art style)
- Customize your heart: Add other symbols to personalize your creation. For example, you could use asterisks (*) to add sparkle or dashes (-) to create a border.
Limitations:
- This method is highly dependent on the recipient’s device and font. The symbols may not render correctly on all devices.
- The resulting heart shape may not be as aesthetically pleasing as the actual emoji.
Method 5: Using Text Replacement (Advanced Users)
Most operating systems allow you to create text replacements, where typing a specific shortcut will automatically replace it with a longer phrase or symbol. This method is useful for frequently used emojis or symbols that are difficult to type directly.
Steps:
- Copy the White Heart Emoji: Use one of the methods described above (Unicode character, online website) to copy the white heart emoji (🤍).
- Create a Text Replacement (iOS):
- Go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Text Replacement.
- Tap the “+” button in the upper right corner.
- In the “Phrase” field, paste the white heart emoji (🤍).
- In the “Shortcut” field, type a short, easy-to-remember shortcut (e.g., “whheart”).
- Tap “Save”.
- Create a Text Replacement (Android): The process varies slightly depending on your Android device and keyboard app. Here’s a general guideline:
- Go to Settings > General management > Language and input > On-screen keyboard.
- Select your current keyboard (e.g., Gboard).
- Look for an option like “Text correction” or “Dictionary”.
- Find the “Personal dictionary” or “Shortcuts” section.
- Tap the “+” button to add a new shortcut.
- In the “Type a word” field, type your shortcut (e.g., “whheart”).
- In the “Replace with” field, paste the white heart emoji (🤍).
- Tap the checkmark or “Save” button.
- Using the Text Replacement: Open WhatsApp and start typing your shortcut (e.g., “whheart”). The white heart emoji should automatically appear in place of the shortcut.
Method 6: Using WhatsApp Stickers (Alternative Visual Representation)
While not strictly an emoji, WhatsApp stickers offer another way to send a white heart. You can find or create stickers that feature white hearts in various styles and designs.
Steps:
- Find a White Heart Sticker Pack:
- Tap the emoji icon in the WhatsApp chat bar.
- Tap the sticker icon (usually located next to the GIF icon).
- Tap the “+” icon to browse for sticker packs.
- Search for “white heart stickers” or similar terms.
- Download and install a sticker pack that contains white heart stickers.
- Create Your Own White Heart Sticker:
- Use a sticker maker app (available on both Android and iOS) to create your own custom stickers.
- You can find white heart images online or draw your own.
- Upload the image to the sticker maker app, customize it as desired, and save it as a sticker.
- Add the sticker to WhatsApp and use it in your chats.
- Sending the Sticker: Once you’ve found or created a white heart sticker, simply tap the sticker icon in WhatsApp and select the desired sticker to send it.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
- White Heart Not Displaying Correctly: This can happen if the recipient’s device or WhatsApp version doesn’t fully support the Unicode emoji. Ask the recipient to update their WhatsApp or check their device’s font settings.
- Keyboard App Not Working: Ensure the keyboard app is properly enabled in your device settings. Try restarting your device or reinstalling the keyboard app.
- Text Replacement Not Working: Double-check that you’ve correctly configured the text replacement shortcut and that it’s enabled in your device settings.
Conclusion
Sending a white heart on WhatsApp, while not as straightforward as using standard emojis, is certainly achievable with the methods outlined above. Whether you prefer the reliability of Unicode characters, the convenience of third-party keyboard apps, or the creativity of creating your own symbol-based heart, there’s a solution for everyone. Remember to consider privacy and performance when choosing third-party apps, and always double-check that your chosen method is rendering correctly on the recipient’s device. With a little effort, you can express yourself with the perfect white heart, adding a touch of elegance and nuance to your WhatsApp conversations.