In a bid to make the use of WhatsApp more interactive, social messaging app owned by Facebook is adding support for searching GIFs from within the app for Android users.
According to a report, the messaging platform also expanded the app’s media sharing limit from 10 to 30. The features are available for WhatsApp beta version 2.17.6 for users on Android. WhatsApp users on iOS got GIF support within the app in November 2016.
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However, Android users could only send or receive emojis only if they had them stored in their device. Now, Android users can access Giphy library (TENOR for some users) right from within the WhatsApp app and send them to friends. The new GIF icon appears when you tap on the emoji icon next to the text bar. It is available at the bottom of the smiley window.
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GIF support for Android was anticipated since it rolled for iOS platform. With the new feature, WhatsApp wants to make its platform more engaging. In iOS, the GIFs can be edited to add emojis, text or trimmed before sending. However, we’ll have to wait and watch if users can do the same on Android as well. You can ‘star’ favourite GIFs to have quick access to them.
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According to leaks, WhatsApp is working on a new ‘Status’ tab update, which could allow users to share Stories in this space, similar to how it works on Snapchat. WhatsApp users will be able to see how many of their friends have seen the Stories, and just like on Snapchat these will disappear after 24 hours.