Overview
- WhatsApp now preserves iPhone Live Photos and Android Motion Photos with movement and ambient audio instead of converting them to still images.
- These clips capture roughly 1.5 to 3 seconds before and after the shot, show a small “Live” badge, and play with sound inside chats.
- The update is available on iOS and Android via standard app-store releases and also bundles Meta AI chat themes, AI-generated backgrounds, and new sticker packs.
- Voice-message transcriptions are available as an opt-in setting, and Meta says the resulting text remains protected by end-to-end encryption.
- WhatsApp is testing a beta setting with separate toggles to control animation playback for GIFs, stickers, and emojis before a wider release.