[endless1234]

> And it probably didn’t help that WhatsApp had their own emoji on Android.

Whatsapp just used Apple's emoji font on android too, for a long time. Eventually they drew their own, often mirrored, versions in the same style.

[Andrew_nenakhov]

Telegram also used Apple's emoji, and what's unclear to me how they got away with it: I did search hard and could not find any information on Apple Emoji licensing or whether they can be used on other platforms at all.