Facebook-owned WhatsApp is testing animated stickers in its beta version of Android and iOS apps. The animated stickers are available on the Android beta version 2.20.194.7 and iOS beta version 2.20.70.26. Reportedly, the animated stickers feature also works on the WhatsApp for Business.
According to the WABetaInfo, the animated stickers feature is divided into three parts. The WhatsApp users may be able to view animated stickers, and users can also send, forward, and save all received animated stickers. The second part states that the users will be able to import animated stickers from third-party apps. Third-party sticker developers are already working to provide animated stickers that can be imported to WhatsApp. The last part of the feature is that the users will be able to download animated sticker packs from the WhatsApp store, currently implemented in the app.
The stickers show animation on the chat page, and they only animate once. Users are required to re-open the chat page or scroll up or down to trigger the animation. There is no information if WhatsApp is going to allow looping of animated stickers or include a toggle switch to enable the animation.
The animated stickers feature is currently rolling out to specific users of the WhatsApp beta app. Android users can also download the APK file of the WhatsApp beta version 2.20.194.7 from the APKMirror website to test the feature. There is no information as to when this feature will be available in the stable version of the app.