WhatsApp just got a big messaging update – here are my 5 favorite upgrades coming to iOS and Android

Another WhatsApp update is rolling out (Image credit: Mika Baumeister/Unsplash)

WhatsApp has announced its latest big round of updates
It includes the ability to share Motion / Live Photos in the app
There's also some new AI tools like custom themes

WhatsApp has announced a host of upgrades for iOS and Android users that’ll make it a lot easier to share memories using the app – and also help you remember which weirdly-named group chat you’re looking for.

Starting with that first change (revealed in WhatsApp's blog post), it’ll soon be possible to share Live Photos and Motion Photos (from iOS and Android respectively) through WhatsApp.

These alternative snaps show your picture as if it’s a live – a bit like a short GIF or video – and can help you better capture a moment than you would with either a single shot or a quick clip alone.

If you’re on Android you’re also getting access to documents scanning so you can scan, crop, send, and save documents straight from inside the WhatsApp app. This should be handy for your more formal chats as it cuts out the need to use a whole different app to prepare a document first.

Don’t worry iPhone users, you’re not missing out. You should already have documents scanning available on your device through WhatsApp. Just go to a chat, tap the '+' icon, choose Document, then tap Scan Document.

Which chat was it again?

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge from a 3/4 angle with black lights and an Android figuring blurred in the background — (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

We’ve all been there. Your feed fills up with silly nicknames and absurd group chat titles to the point that it’s actually impossible to keep track of which group is for what beneath all those layers.

A case in point is that my old university flat-mate group chat is called “Six, but in a french way” having started years ago as simply “Queensway house.”

Now, I remember this group chat name, but if I didn’t I’d probably never find it except by manually digging through every group. Fortunately, WhatsApp is adding a helpful new search tool, as now if I look up the names of people who I know are in the chat the app will show me the group chats we share.

Once you've found your group chat of choice you can take advantage of a couple of new AI updates courtesy of Meta AI.

You can use the bot to help you generate custom chat themes of your own as part of the Chat Themes feature.

Plus, when you video call someone (individually or in a group call) you can get AI to produce a unique background for you – either places you already love or somewhere completely new. You can also use these backgrounds in your snaps and the videos you take from within the WhatsApp app.

Not the most game-changing update, but it does sound like a fun one, so I'm headed to the Play Store right now to make sure I've got the latest version of WhatsApp installed.

Meta hasn't shared exactly when all of these features (including Live and Motion photo support) will be rolling out, but we've asked it for an estimate and will update this story when we hear back.

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Hamish is a Senior Staff Writer for TechRadar and you’ll see his name appearing on articles across nearly every topic on the site from smart home deals to speaker reviews to graphics card news and everything in between. He uses his broad range of knowledge to help explain the latest gadgets and if they’re a must-buy or a fad fueled by hype. Though his specialty is writing about everything going on in the world of virtual reality and augmented reality.

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Which chat was it again?

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