WhatsApp has been working on its own animated emojis for quite some time, but these were only spotted in various beta versions of the app. These animated emojis developed with Lottie have been spotted for the first time more than a year ago.
Despite these being in development for such a long time, WhatsApp has only started to test these animated emojis last month. However, only Android users had the opportunity to use animated emojis and send their feedback to WhatsApp’s engineers.
Fast forward one month and WhatsApp is now reportedly testing its animated emojis with iOS users. The folks at 9to5mac claim that the latest beta version of WhatsApp for iPhone adds some animated emoji that replace Apple’s.
In case you want to try these out yourself, the beta version of WhatsApp for iPhone is available through TestFlight. As per the cited source, WhatsApp only added a few animated emojis in the latest beta version, such as the laughing face, red heart, and wink.
Recommended For You
It’s hard to say when WhatsApp will make its animated emojis available to everyone, especially since they’ve been in development for such a long time. On the bright side, it’s encouraging that it took WhatsApp about a month to roll out the animated emojis to iOS users after testing them on Android.
Despite the fact that iOS users are only getting a few animated emojis to test right now, it’s safe to say that the first batch will include several chosen among the most popular ones.
Get Visible as low as $20/mo for 1 year. Limited time offer with code: FRESHSTART
$20
/mo
$25
$5 off (20%)
Offer Ends 6.1.2026 at 11.59pm ET. New members get $5/mo off the $25/mg Visible plan, $35/mo Visible+ plan, or $45/mo Visible+ Pro plan for the first 12 months. Promo code FRESHSTART required at checkout.
Cosmin, a tech journalist with a career spanning over a decade, brought a wealth of experience to PhoneArena. His expertise lies in brands like Samsung and Nokia, and he has a keen interest in innovative technologies. After a brief stint in PR, Cosmin returned to tech journalism in 2016, committed to delivering clear and objective news. When he's not writing or appearing as a guest on TV and radio shows, Cosmin enjoys playing RPGs, watching Netflix, and nurturing his passion for history and travel.
Recommended For You
COMMENTS (0)
COMMENTS (0)
All comments need to comply with our
Community Guidelines
PhoneArena Community Rules
A discussion is a place, where people can voice their opinion, no matter if it
is positive, neutral or negative. However, when posting, one must stay true to the topic, and not just share some
random thoughts, which are not directly related to the matter.
Things that are NOT allowed:
Off-topic talk - you must stick to the subject of discussion
Offensive, hate speech - if you want to say something, say it politely
Spam/Advertisements - these posts are deleted
Multiple accounts - one person can have only one account
Impersonations and offensive nicknames - these accounts get banned
To help keep our community safe and free from spam, we apply temporary limits to newly created accounts:
New accounts created within the last 24 hours may experience restrictions on how frequently they can
post or comment.
These limits are in place as a precaution and will automatically lift.
Moderation is done by humans. We try to be as objective as possible and moderate with zero bias. If you think a
post should be moderated - please, report it.
Have a question about the rules or why you have been moderated/limited/banned? Please,
contact us.
Things that are NOT allowed:
To help keep our community safe and free from spam, we apply temporary limits to newly created accounts: