Seems to Have Accepted User Complaints
'Rollback' Through Next Week's Update
Kakao has withdrawn its decision to terminate the basic 'emoji' (graphic icon) service that was provided for free on KakaoTalk. It appears that the company reversed its original decision following a flood of negative reactions after the announcement of the service termination.
On the 2nd, Kakao announced that it would roll back the emojis to their initial version through the KakaoTalk 10.5.2 update. Previously, Kakao had reduced the number of basic emojis from 116 to 34 in the KakaoTalk 10.5.0 update, citing low user engagement. The remaining 34 emojis were also scheduled to be phased out sequentially. However, due to strong user backlash, Kakao decided to accommodate users' demands and revert KakaoTalk to the previous version. Through this update, Kakao plans to restore the emojis back to 116, with the change expected to be applied sometime next week.
Emojis that Kakao has provided since the beginning. Kakao announced on the 30th of last month that it would completely end free emoji support but reversed the decision on the 2nd. [Image source=KakaoTalk capture]
Emojis are a type of round graphic icon that were provided for free when KakaoTalk was first launched. Kakao had planned to sequentially discontinue these initial emojis as well as other Kakao Friends character emojis, including the so-called 'KakaoTalk dog.' However, the emojis provided on KakaoTalk are a different concept from 'emoticons.' Emoticons are products that users typically use in chat windows by subscribing to KakaoTalk Emoticon Plus or purchasing individual emoticons.
Meanwhile, on the 30th of last month, Kakao announced the complete termination of the free KakaoTalk emoji service that had been offered since 2011, which sparked strong backlash from users.
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