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This new feature will turn WhatsApp into your main work tool#

January 30, 2026

New features in WA

Greetings to everyone following WhatsApp! This week , updates affected both fundamental platform components and family safety tools. A key event is preparations for a change in our key GIF content partner, which will affect millions of users later this year.

Contents#

Changing GIF Provider#

WhatsApp is working on a feature that will replace Tenor with the GIF provider Klipy.

How it will work#

Tenor announced it will deprecate its API on June 30, 2026. As a replacement, WhatsApp will integrate a new provider—the Klipy platform. The transition will be seamless for users: the built-in GIF search will continue to work, and sent GIFs will be labeled "Klipy" instead of "Tenor."

Why it's needed#

This is a technical necessity necessitated by Tenor's decision. WhatsApp aims to maintain service reliability by supporting at least two providers (GIPHY and Klipy). This ensures that if one provider experiences an outage, users can search for GIFs through the other.

Status#

This feature is in active development for iOS. The migration of all Tenor users is expected to be completed by June 30, 2026.

Group Calls in WhatsApp Web#

WhatsApp is developing group calling support for the web client.

How it will work#

The web client will gain full support for voice and video calls for groups. Users will be able to not only start such calls but also create invitation links and schedule future calls by specifying a name, description, and time.

Why it's needed#

This is to provide a unified experience across all platforms. This is especially convenient for work meetings or chatting with a large group of friends directly from the browser, without the need to install the desktop app.

Status#

This feature is in development. The exact release date and maximum number of participants (currently expected to be up to 32) will be announced later.

Direct Access to Beta Testing from the App#

WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that allows a limited group of users to access the beta version.

How it will work#

Some users will have an "Early Feature Access" section in the app settings. By activating the toggle, they will be able to receive beta updates directly through the app, bypassing the Google Play Store (where the beta program is often overcrowded).

Why it's needed#

This will allow WhatsApp to attract more testers, receive feedback more quickly, and release critical fixes for beta versions more quickly.

Status#

This feature is available to a limited number of users, including some beta testers, on the latest WhatsApp beta for Android.

Chat History for New Group Members#

WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that allows users to share their chat history with new group members.

How it will work#

When adding a new member to a group, the administrator will be prompted to share their recent message history (up to 100 messages in 14 days). Messages will be highlighted, and a system notification will appear in the chat about this action.

Why it's needed#

New members will be able to quickly understand the context of a conversation without asking unnecessary questions, simplifying integration into active work or topic-specific chats.

Status#

This feature, previously tested on Android, is now rolling out to iOS. It is disabled by default.

Advanced Parental Controls#

WhatsApp is working on a feature that will allow parents to set up an additional account with limited features.

How it will work#

Parents will be able to create a secondary account with limited functionality for their child, linking it to their own account via a QR code and protecting it with a 6-digit PIN. This account blocks communication with unsaved contacts, disables the "Updates" tab (statuses and channels), and the "Chat Blocking" feature. For more details, see the extended version of our blog post.

Why it's needed#

This is to ensure a safe digital environment for teenagers, giving parents tools to monitor their child's privacy without compromising end-to-end encryption.

Status#

This feature is in development for Android. There is no release date yet.

Viewing Privacy Settings for Statuses#

WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that displays the privacy settings applied to status updates.

How it will work#

A new "Audience" option will appear in the status view menu. By tapping it, you can check who exactly the status was shared with (for example, "All contacts except..."), who you mentioned, and whether it can be forwarded.

Why it's needed#

This is to prevent mistakes and accidentally posting personal content to the wrong audience. Now you can quickly check the settings of an already-sent status.

Status#

This feature, previously seen on Android, is now being tested on iOS.

Conclusion#

WhatsApp is preparing for a major infrastructure change (migration from Tenor) and is actively developing user functionality at the same time. A special focus is on security and control: both for family members (parental controls) and for personal content (status privacy settings).

At GREEN-API, we monitor all WhatsApp updates to provide you with the latest news and solutions for automating your business processes. Stay tuned to stay up-to-date with all the latest developments!