WhatsApp's latest update brings quicker emoji reactions and other notable features

(Image credit: WhatsApp)

What you need to know

WhatsApp announces some new and upcoming features for its Android and iOS platforms.
The messaging service brings video call effects for traditional photo and video sharing within the chats.
Users can also share quicker emoji reactions to messages in their respective WhatsApp chats.

WhatsApp has announced that it is starting 2025 with a bunch of new features coming to Android and as well as iOS users.

In an accompanying blog post this week, the messaging platform shared some new features and design improvements that users can see on WhatsApp this year. Meta-owned messaging service introduced an effects feature for video calls last year.

With the new update, people who often take photos and videos in chats will now be able to use those effects. This means users will be able to choose the same 30 backgrounds, filters, and effects to transform what they capture and share in their chats.

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WhatsApp on Android phones already allows users to take selfies and immediately convert them into relevant stickers. This can be done by tapping the create sticker option, which opens up the camera for users to click selfies and create stickers hassle-free. According to the blog post, it is coming soon to iOS users this year.

The messaging platform will also allow users to easily share their favorite sticker packs right from their chats. Lastly, WhatsApp users will be able to quickly react to a message in a chat by simply double-tapping the respective message and scrolling through the most-used emoji reactions.

While these seem to be a bunch of new features coming to the platform, WhatsApp notes that it is looking forward to introducing "more exciting features" that are set to be released throughout 2025.

Meta AI widget on the home screen showing access to Meta AI and a camera button — (Image credit: WABetaInfo)

In other news, WhatsApp was also found working on a new widget, seemingly bringing Meta AI onto users' home screens. The relevant widget has been spotted recently in the WhatsApp beta 2.25.1.27 version. It is believed to be coming in a 4x1 layout, and users are required to access WhatsApp's AI chat feature to use it.

Once the widget is enabled, users can tap the text field to start asking Meta AI or use the camera icon in the same widget to click something and ask questions about it.

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Vishnu is a freelance news writer for Android Central. Since 2018, he has written about consumer technology, especially smartphones, computers, and every other gizmo connected to the internet. When he is not at the keyboard, you can find him on a long drive or lounging on the couch binge-watching a crime series.