Animated GIFs are the lifeblood of our social media interactions. Nothing could compete GIFs when it comes to expressing your feelings and situations. The need for WhatsApp GIF support was felt since long. Recently, Facebook-owned WhatsApp answered the call of millions of users around the world and rolled out animated GIF support for WhatsApp. You can now send GIFs, short 6 second videos, Live Photos GIFs on WhatsApp. This feature is currently rolled out for iPhone. But an Android iteration is expected soon.
You can also send a Live photo as a GIF in WhatsApp by using the 3D Live Photo as a GIF by using the 3D Touch feature from the “Attach” interface. Just choose the option “Select as GIF” when selecting the Live Photo from your Photo and Video Library.
WhatsApp also lets you search through hundreds of reaction GIFs in a GIF search engine. There are Gifs from GIF search engine GIPHY. So messaging and interaction has become a lot more fun in WhatsApp.
The launch of animated GIFs in WhatsApp is another effort by Facebook to tackle Snapchat. The quick 6 second videos and reaction GIFs are just like the Snapchat’s trademark short video features. However, WhatsApp short video loops aren’t ephemeral, which means they will stay there forever when you send them unless you delete them.
You can send any video as a GIF in WhatsApp, but it should not be longer than 6 seconds. Just press the Plus (+) button on the left of the text box, select Photo & Video Library and choose what you want to send.
You can easily select a GIF by using the “Select as GIF”. Live photos feature is supported for iPhone 6s and 7 and their Plus versions.
Here is a great feature: If you come across a funny GIF which you would like to share on WhatsApp with your friends, just long-tap on it and use the copy option and then paste it in the WhatsApp thread where you want to send and the GIF will be sent.
