WhatsApp is rolling out a mix of new features aimed at improving media sharing, personalization, and everyday usability, with iPhone users now able to send and receive Live Photos through the app. The update also broadens support for Android devices, introduces new AI-driven customization tools, and makes group chats easier to find.
For iOS, Live Photos support is the standout addition. These short clips combine still images with sound and motion, and WhatsApp now allows iPhone users to send them directly while also receiving Motion Photos from Android devices. This brings more parity between platforms when it comes to sharing richer media.
WhatsApp is also weaving Meta’s AI deeper into the app. Users can generate custom chat themes by typing simple prompts, tailoring the look of individual conversations. The same AI tools can also be used to create backgrounds for video calls or media shared within chats. As with most of WhatsApp’s AI features, availability will roll out gradually and may differ by region.
On Android, the app is gaining a built-in document scanner, a feature that had long been available on iOS. Users can scan, crop, and send documents without leaving WhatsApp, streamlining what has become a common use case.
Other quality-of-life changes include new sticker packs, improved search for group chats — allowing users to find a group by entering a member’s name — and an on-device message translation tool released earlier this year that keeps translations private by avoiding server-side processing.
The updates reflect WhatsApp’s strategy of gradually layering AI personalization tools onto its core messaging functions while continuing to close feature gaps between iOS and Android. For users, the result is a more flexible app that makes media sharing smoother and customization easier, though the pace of AI integration will likely be uneven depending on rollout schedules.
