We’re on the last day of the year 2025, and hours away from welcoming a new year, 2026. To celebrate the occasion, WhatsApp has rolled out a few New Year-themed features , including the 2026 stickers, new video call effects, animated reactions, and more festive features. As the name says, the new 2026 sticker pack includes party-themed stickers to send to your friends and family.
WhatsApp adds a New Year 2026 sticker pack and new video call effects
WhatsApp, in a blog post , notes that New Year’s is its biggest day at WhatsApp, with each year breaking new records as users connect with their friends and loved ones across regions. It adds that on an average day, the platform handles more than 100 billion messages and around 2 billion calls worldwide. But the activity during the 24-hour New Year period tops these levels. With these new additions, the instant messaging app is making the experience even more special.
Besides the 2026 sticker pack, there are new animated effects that are available during video calls. These include fireworks, confetti, and star animations that light up the phone’s screen as an overlay.
Animated stickers in Status updates
Then there are the animated confetti reactions. WhatsApp is bringing back special reactions when you use the confetti emoji to react to messages. Furthermore, the tech giant is introducing animated stickers to Status for the first time. There’s a special 2026 layout meant for Status updates.
To make the New Year’s celebration more seamless and simple, WhatsApp users can leverage existing features like creating an event option to keep everyone in the loop and polls to take votes on drinks, food, and activities. There’s a live location option to share venues and send video and voice notes.
