WhatsApp GIF Update For iOS: Vine-Style Videos, Giphy Library Access, GIF Storage And Sharing

WhatsApp updated its iOS app on Monday with the ability to send and receive animated GIFs.

Users will be able to send video up to 6 seconds long, similar to Vine, in the form of GIFs by just tapping the GIF toggle after picking the video. In addition, they will be able to send live photos as GIFs — but only on iPhone 6S or later models since they will need 3D touch to attach photo/videos from the library. Users can basically convert a live photo to a GIF by choosing the “send as GIF” option. They will need to update the app to version 2.16.15 to make use of the feature. The company will also let users access the Giphy library for animations, Thenextweb reported.

The company hasn't updated the Android app to include similar features yet, but had rolled out video calling for Android in October.

WhatsApp has come late to the game since Instagram and Snapchat already have such features. It has been trying to edge its rivals by continuously releasing new updates, the most recent one being the WhatsApp Doodles feature which lets users customize and enhance photos by drawing over them and adding emojis. The app is rumored to be launching a feature similar to Snapchat Stories and Instagram Stories soon.