WhatsApp is getting a summer update that brings a bunch of sticker-related features. The program includes the ability to send animated stickers from GIPHY and the creation of custom stickers.
Stickers are a feature that is very popular with users, who use them to express their emotions and liven up their discussions. A picture is sometimes more effective than a thousand words! On WhatsApp, you can create an avatar and use it to send more than thirty reactions. But Meta doesn’t intend to stop there! The instant messaging service is getting a small summer update that adds several new features to the app, as the company announced in a blog post. It is notably possible to send animated stickers from GIPHY, the popular GIF platform that belonged to Meta, before Mark Zuckerberg’s firm sold it. Suffice to say that this makes for a large collection!
WhatsApp Stickers: a growing collection!
GIPHY’s integration with WhatsApp allows you to find and share animated stickers without having to leave the app. To view these stickers, simply tap the dedicated icon in the virtual keyboard bar and search using text or emoji in the bar provided for this purpose.
Meta also announces the addition of a custom sticker creation tool. While it was already available on iOS, the Android app is only now getting it. This will allow you to create, edit and share your own stickers using editing features such as cropping, text and drawing tools. To create your own sticker, simply tap the smiley on the left of the input area, go to the stickers section and tap “Create”. Once created, the stickers are automatically saved so that you can easily view them and share them with your loved ones.
Meta also announces the integration of AI-powered sticker creation into the app, which allows you to generate a personalized sticker directly in the WhatsApp conversation interface. However, this feature is only available to users in the United States for the moment, due to European legislation, which is uncompromising when it comes to the management and protection of personal data. This is also why we do not yet benefit from the company’s chatbot, Meta AI, in instant messaging.
Finally, WhatsApp offers a new way to organize stickers. Thus, you can now display a preview in the corresponding bar, below those downloaded. To customize your bar, simply long press on a sticker to move it to the top or delete it.