Conversations just got a lot more fun. WhatsApp is supposedly testing a new feature that would allow iOS users to integrate animated Gifs into their chats, according to The Next Web. News of WhatsApp testing this feature has come to light shortly after it’s rival Viber introduced GIF support on its platform.
WhatsApp’s support for auto-playing Gif links has been first spotted by @WABetaInfo, a Twitter account that tracks changes made to the WhatsApp beta version. There are claims that this update will allow users to directly embed Gifs in the course of their conversations.
This means you will no longer have to open your phone’s web browser just to see the Gif your friend has sent you. The log, posted on Pastebin also mentions that Gif images can be saved to the camera roll, Gif images can be directly replied to and that there will be encryption support for these Gifs.
While we cannot expect the integration to be as good as Facebook Messenger’s Giphy support or Google’s GBoard keyboard for iOS, what matters is that they’re taking the first step.
No specific date has been mentioned when it comes to actually releasing this new feature to general users.
