Live Photos could be poised to make their debut in WhatsApp — just 10 years after Apple built the functionality into millions of iPhone models worldwide. According to WABetaInfo, which analyses the code of beta versions of the next WhatsApp update to uncover new functionality before it's officially announced, there are clues that WhatsApp is testing out the ability to send Live Photos in their original format. As of now, when you try to send a Live Photo in WhatsApp, it removes the feature and automatically converts it to a still image.
WhatsApp is the most widely used messaging service in the world, with more than 2 billion active users across over 180 countries. You also don't need a mobile data plan to talk to friends or family because you can connect via Wi-Fi to send messages or make calls. This could be especially helpful if you want to speak with someone overseas, as many international data plans are known to be more expensive and can add up over time.
The handy app is also built with end-to-end encryption, ensuring that conversations remain private and secure.
WhatsApp is the most widely used messaging service in the world, with more than 2 billion active users across over 180 countries
| GETTY IMAGESWhatsApp is constantly launching new updates and features, too. Most recently, it came out with the ability to rewrite your text messages for you. Called Writing Help, WhatsApp can transform your texts with Artificial Intelligence (AI) while keeping your conversations completely private.
This new tool allows you to rewrite messages entirely to adjust tone or correct spelling mistakes. For example, you'll be able to make your texts sound more professional for work chats, ask the AI to add some humour to lighten the mood with friends, or craft supportive responses when friends need encouragement.
New tools to stop scam messages on WhatsApp have also been added to help keep fraudsters out of your messages.
With the ability to send Live Photos in WhatsApp, you'll be able to share images in motion in individual messages, group chats, and channels. It will no longer eliminate the movement or audio that's normally affiliated with Live Photos.
Once you've shared the Live Photo with someone, a motion icon pops up in the corner of the preview to show that it's animated for the recipient, this is similar to how Apple indicates that a photograph has motion available in the Photos app.
WhatsApp is actively testing the ability to send live photos in its application, giving you another media-sharing ability
|Live Photos were first introduced by Apple in 2015 alongside iPhone 6s, adding a twist to normal photography. Instead of capturing just a single frame, Live Photos record a short burst of video and sound — 1.5 seconds before and after you press the shutter — bringing images to life with movement and context. This capability, enabled by default on every iPhone shipped since the iPhone 6s, has been copied by other smartphone manufacturers, so the change in WhatsApp will impact more than just iPhone owners.
At the time, the Californian company stated: "Live Photos, which go beyond snapshots to capture moments in motion. Live Photos are beautiful 12-megapixel photos that, with just a press, reveal the moments immediately before and after the shot was taken, so you can enjoy a living memory rather than an instant frozen in time."
Instead of capturing just a single frame, Live Photos record a short burst of video and sound—1.5 seconds before and after you press the shutter—bringing images to life with movement and context | APPLE PRESS OFFICEGoogle rolled out Motion Photos, while Samsung introduced Motion Photo, using the same concept as Apple. Nearly a decade later, Live Photos are no longer just a quirky extra.
Asu such, hundreds of millions of users now capture their memories in this hybrid format. From creating dynamic wallpapers to reliving candid moments that would otherwise be lost between frames, Live Photos have quietly reshaped how people think about digital photography.
While the feature is only available in testing for now, it's also been reported that it will roll out to more users gradually as testers provide feedback for improvements.
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