Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Phones
  3. Mobile
  4. News

WhatsApp just added four messaging features. Here’s what’s new

Add as a preferred source on Google
WhatsApp January 2025 changes.
WhatsApp

As 2025 begins, WhatsApp, one of the most popular instant messaging apps on the planet, has announced new features designed to enhance user experience and engagement with the app.

One notable update lets users take and send videos or photos directly within a chat interface. The app now includes camera effects that allow users to customize their media. With access to over 30 different backgrounds, filters, and other creative elements, users can enhance their images or videos, offering a broader range of personalization options for sharing memorable moments or adding unique touches to their visuals.

Recommended Videos

In addition, WhatsApp has introduced a feature for creating selfie stickers. Users can initiate this by tapping the Create Sticker icon, which will display a camera option to capture a selfie and transform it into a sticker. This feature is initially being rolled out on Android devices, with plans to extend it to iOS users.

WhatsApp logo on a phone held in hand.
Tushar Mehta/Digital Trends

Furthermore, users can now share sticker packs through WhatsApp chats, facilitating more dynamic and expressive conversations. Another helpful enhancement is the ability to double-tap a message to react quickly, along with a streamlined method for scrolling through frequently used reactions, making interactions more efficient and interactive.

WhatsApp is a free messaging and voice-over-IP (VoIP) service that enables seamless communication worldwide. It allows users to send text messages instantly, share voice messages, and make video and voice calls. In addition to these core features, users can share images, documents, user locations, and various multimedia content, making it a versatile platform for personal and professional communication.

Launched in 2009 and acquired by Meta Platforms (formerly Facebook) in 2014, WhatsApp has grown significantly and is now one of the most popular messaging apps worldwide, with over 2 billion users. The app employs end-to-end encryption for messages and calls, ensuring that conversations remain private and secure.

WhatsApp also includes features such as group chats, broadcast lists, and status updates, allowing users to connect with multiple friends or family members simultaneously.

Bryan M. Wolfe
Former Mobile and A/V Freelancer
Bryan M. Wolfe has over a decade of experience as a technology writer. He writes about mobile.
T-Mobile says it has fixed the nationwide signal outage after hours of disruption
Bars are back. T-Mobile confirms it has fixed Monday's nationwide outage.
T-Mobile logo on iPhone

T-Mobile's Monday outage is officially over. After thousands of customers spent hours dealing with dropped signals and iPhones stuck in SOS mode, the carrier confirmed that service has been fully restored.

So what exactly happened?

Read more
Samsung may finally give the Galaxy S27 Ultra a meaningful battery boost using silicon-carbon tech
Galaxy S27 Ultra could reach 5,700mAh as Samsung explores silicon-carbon batteries
Electronics, Phone, Mobile Phone

Samsung was already rumored to be preparing a larger battery for the Galaxy S27 Ultra, while the upcoming Galaxy S27 Pro was expected to carry a 5,000mAh cell. At the time, however, there was no indication that silicon-carbon batteries were also in the works.

Samsung recently introduced the technology on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 series. A new GalaxyClub report has now revealed the alleged battery capacities of both phones, and they could represent significant upgrades by Samsung’s standards.

Read more
Spotify meets Snap Map in Snapchat’s latest update
The new Now Playing feature adds real-time music sharing with customizable privacy controls.
Now Playing on Snap Map Spotify Snapchat featured

Snapchat is giving Snap Map a musical makeover. The company has announced Now Playing, a new feature that lets users share the music they're listening to in real time directly on Snap Map. Launching first with Spotify, the integration allows friends to discover each other's favorite tracks, save songs, and jump straight into Spotify without leaving Snapchat. The feature is rolling out now in regions where both Snapchat and Spotify are available, with Canada set to receive it soon.

How Now Playing works

Read more