Just in time for tonight’s New Year’s celebrations, WhatsApp has released a free upgrade to help its billions of users add some fun to their chats. Millions of messages are expected to be sent over the next 24 hours – along with plenty of people making calls to friends and family – and if you are about to ping texts to all of your contacts, you might want to check out what’s new.
The free upgrade, which is available now, features a trio of changes. Firstly, WhatsApp has added a slew of extra video effects to help get the celebrations started. These include fun festive backgrounds, 2025 filters and sprinklings of confetti. To add a party feel to your calls just tap the magic wand effects button on the screen – you’ll then see the backgrounds and filters appear at the bottom of your device.
Next up, there are more ways to react when someone messages you. The update mean you can quickly respond party poppers, champagne and glasses filled with bubbly.
Finally, there’s the addition of a New Year’s Eve sticker pack and avatar stickers designed especially for the New Year.
In a message sent to Express.co.uk, WhatsApp confirmed that the update is available now but won’t stay on devices for long. In fact, it will disappear again at the weekend.
“To celebrate the new year on WhatsApp, we’re excited to surprise users with some fun features to enjoy when chatting or calling with friends and family. These limited-time features will be available starting tomorrow 20th December to 3rd January, adding a little extra excitement to holiday conversations.”
To make sure you have the latest version of WhatsApp on your device, follow the instructions below.
How to update WhatsApp on your iPhone or iPad
• Head to your home screen and open the App Store.
• Tap the My Account button or your photo at the top of the screen.
• Scroll down to see pending updates and release notes. Tap Update next to an app to only update that app, or tap Update All.
To update Whatsapps on an Android device
• Open the Google Play Store app
• Tap your profile icon in the top right corner
• Tap Manage apps and device
• Tap Manage
• Find the app you want to update
• Tap the app to open its Details page and turn on Enable auto update