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New Delhi: WhatsApp has started to release new festive features to enter 2026 and bring more visual excitement to conversations over the holidays. Following the release of a confetti animation to celebrate themed emoji reactions recently, the messaging platform is now building out its New Year experience with an animated sticker of its own.
The new feature was detected in the WhatsApp beta 2.26.1.4 that can be acquired in the Google Play Store. It is the first update of the year in WhatsApp, and it is a continuation of the push by the company for more seasonal and time-limiting updates that help in making chats, channels and status updates more interesting.
As mentioned in the beta update, WhatsApp is testing a special animated sticker with the number 2026, which is to be used in reference to the beginning of the New Year. This sticker is already available to some of the beta testers, and a new festive sticker pack is centred on New Year greetings and party images. The pack will come in a variety of designs, and the user can select stickers based on the mood of the message.
The Lottie animation framework was used in all the stickers of the pack. This keeps the animations and images crisp and has a minimum effect on the performance of the device. The stickers occupy minimal storage space even though they are animated, and therefore they are also fitted even in phones that have limited storage space.
The 2026 sticker can be shared by the users in one-on-one conversations and group discussions. Another feature of the sticker is channels where creators and admins can update the stickers with festive information. WhatsApp has also allowed it to support such stickers on its status update, which makes the experience of the New Year uniform throughout the app.
WhatsApp is also testing with status updates using New Year layouts so as to further emphasise the celebration. When an eligible user is creating a status, a new icon of 2026 will appear in the Layout tab. Such designs are chosen to be particularly effective with the animated sticker that would allow the user to add a seasonal touch to photos and videos.
Although the New Year sticker pack can be purchased by everyone, the layout-specific 2026 sticker is now exclusive to a few Android beta testers. WhatsApp is implementing the feature progressively to make sure that it is operating well with various media types.
Access is likely to be increased by the company in the next couple of days. By 2026, when the new feature is rolled out fully, more users will have an opportunity to celebrate the beginning of the year with animated stickers and festive layouts, aiding in making the messages about the New Year more expressive and visual.
