WhatsApp rolled out new festive features for users around the globe just in time to welcome 2026. The updates include a special 2026 sticker pack, new video call effects, and animated reactions to make New Year's greetings more engaging. The messaging platform, owned by Meta, introduced these "festive touches" in late December 2025 to enhance communication during its busiest day of the year.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]} These features are available for both Android and iOS users.^[3][9] ### Festive Visuals for Chats and Calls Users can now send a dedicated 2026 sticker pack in individual and group chats, offering a creative way to share New Year greetings beyond plain text.^{[1][2][4][5][9][6][7][10][11][8][12]} This animated sticker pack aims to make conversations more lively and celebratory as people connect with friends and family.^[3][9] The sticker pack includes various themed designs to express excitement for the upcoming year.^[4] Video calls also received a festive upgrade. Users can now activate on-screen animations like fireworks, confetti, and stars during video calls.^{[1][2][4][5][9][6][7][11][8]} These effects add a "dash of fun" to virtual parties and countdowns, especially for those celebrating across different locations.^[6] Users can access these visual options by tapping the effects icon during a call.^[5][7][11] In addition to video call effects, WhatsApp brought back animated confetti reactions for messages. When users react to a message with the confetti emoji, a special animation plays within the chat.^{[1][2][4][5][9][6][7][11][8]} This feature adds a playful and dynamic element to conversations, making quick responses feel more festive.^[9][6][7] ### Animated Status Updates and Planning Tools For the first time, WhatsApp is introducing animated stickers for Status updates.^{[1][2][3][4][5][9][6][7][11][8][12]} Users can now apply a special 2026-themed layout with animated stickers to share New Year wishes with all their contacts.^{[1][2][3][4][7][11][12]} This allows for more visually engaging and thematic updates, combining photos, videos, and animated elements.^[3][9] Many users rely on Status to send greetings to multiple contacts at once, and this update offers another creative way to share messages without starting separate chats.^[5] Beyond these new additions, WhatsApp also highlighted its existing group chat features designed to help users plan and organize New Year celebrations.^{[1][2][6][7][11][8][12]} Users can create events within group chats and pin them for visibility, helping all members stay updated on details and collect RSVPs.^{[1][2][6][7][11][8][12]} The platform's polls feature helps groups decide on food, drinks, or activities.^{[1][2][6][7][11][8][12]} Live location sharing is also useful for helping friends find party venues and ensuring everyone arrives and returns home safely.^{[1][2][6][7][11][8][12]} Voice notes and video messages remain popular tools for sharing authentic moments with friends and family who cannot attend in person.^{[1][2][6][11][8]} These tools aim to make holiday interactions more fun and memorable.^[13] ### Connecting Billions on New Year's New Year's Eve consistently ranks as WhatsApp's busiest day of the year.^{[1][2][6][7][8][12]} The messaging giant handles over 100 billion messages and 2 billion calls on a regular day.^{[1][2][6][7][8][12]} However, the 24-hour period when the world welcomes a new year always tops these charts, with message and call volumes surging as people connect across different time zones.^{[1][2][6][7][8][12]} WhatsApp stated that it is proud to play a role in making people's wishes special during this peak moment.^[6] The company emphasized that the surge in activity reflects how the platform has become a central space for personal celebrations, especially for those separated by distance.^[8] These new limited-time features are available throughout the New Year celebration period.^{[2][11][8][12]} They aim to make virtual festivities more engaging and interactive for the platform's global user base of over two billion.^[6][12]

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