New WhatsApp features includes Animated Stickers and more!

There are over 2 Billion WhatsApp users who are going to experience the new WhatsApp features that are being rolled out “over the next few weeks”. These features are sure to make messaging more light-hearted and fun, along with QR code integration for adding friends, improvements to video calls, and a much-awaited feature on the WhatsApp desktop version.

Let’s take a look at the latest build of WhatsApp and the updates you need to know about!

WhatsApp Features Animated Stickers

Stickers have been around in WhatsApp for a while now allowing users to express themselves further through chat messages. These stickers included adorable Shiba Inu dogs and even World Health Organization stickers to promote social distancing.

In the most recent WhatsApp update, Animated Stickers are now supported for those moments when you want to add a bit extra!

I have been using these to converse with my friends since it launched, and my personal favorite is the “Moody Foodies” sticker pack – I mean who doesn’t like a glasses-wearing smiling pizza or a moody jumping coffee cup?

How to add a WhatsApp Sticker Pack:

1. Open any chat window on WhatsApp
2. Tap the smiley icon to the left of the text that reads “Type a message”
3. On the window that opens at the bottom of the screen, tap the sticker icon located next to the GIF icon to open up the sticker window
4. Inside the sticker window, tap the plus icon in the upper right corner to display all the stickers available for download
5. To find animated stickers, find any sticker pack with a play icon beside its name
6. Once you find an animated sticker pack you like, tap the download button (arrow facing down icon)
7. Go back to the chat window and the animated sticker pack will be available for use in the sticker window

QR Code Integration for Adding New Friends

WhatsApp included the ability to add new friends by simply using the camera to scan the QR codes of other people. It’s a seamless quality-of-life upgrade that can save time from manually finding an account within the app.

How to add friends with the WhatsApp QR code:

1. Head to the WhatsApp home screen
2. In the upper right corner, hit the icon with the three vertical dots and tap Settings
3. Inside this window, tap the QR code icon to the right of your name which will bring up your QR code. This allows other people to scan your code and add you as a friend
4. To scan the QR codes of other people, tap the “Scan Code” button which brings up the camera with a square in the middle
5. Point your camera in front of a QR code and the app will automatically scan it for you. Note: If there is no sufficient lighting to scan a QR code, tap the flash icon in the lower right
6. Tap the “Add to Contacts” button at the bottom when the contact is found.

Expanding a Video During Group Calls

This feature is probably the simplest part of the new WhatsApp features, but also not the most obvious.

Before this update, during a group conversation on WhatsApp, if you tapped a video window nothing happened.

With the new update, you can now tap the video window of any participant and expand their video to the middle of the screen while blurring the other participants. While a simple feature, this is extremely helpful especially during situations such as meetings or just when you want to focus on one person speaking.

Dark Mode on WhatsApp Desktop

WhatsApp recently released the Dark Mode theme on the WhatsApp Desktop app. Since both the app and the desktop are connected, when you change the theme in the app, it will also update the theme on the desktop.

Here’s how to switch your WhatsApp theme on the desktop app:

1. Click the three horizontal dots in the upper left of the desktop app window, then click Settings
2. Select “Theme” from the Chats menu to launch a window where you can switch to Dark Mode (and vice-versa back to Light Mode)
3. Tap “OK”
4. Now your desktop app is in Dark Mode!

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