WhatsApp Rings in 2026: WhatsApp is starting 2026 on a festive note, rolling out special visual features to help users celebrate the New Year in style. After recently introducing a confetti animation for emoji reactions, the messaging platform has now launched another New Year-themed addition — a special animated “2026” sticker that adds a lively touch to chats, channels, and status updates.
This marks WhatsApp’s first update of 2026, and it clearly focuses on seasonal creativity and visual fun rather than functional changes. The feature has been spotted in the WhatsApp beta for Android version 2.26.1.4, which is currently available via the Google Play Store.
WhatsApp’s Festive Updates Continue Into the New Year
Earlier, WhatsApp introduced a celebratory confetti animation that appears when users react with specific celebration-themed emojis. That animation was designed purely for visual flair, making chats feel more engaging during special occasions. It worked across personal chats, channels, and status updates, offering a consistent experience everywhere.
Now, WhatsApp has taken things a step further by adding a dedicated New Year animated sticker, created especially to welcome 2026. This new feature continues the company’s seasonal approach, offering users more creative ways to express themselves during the holiday period.
Animated ‘2026’ Sticker Spotted in WhatsApp Beta
With the latest beta update, some Android users can now access a new Lottie-based animated sticker that highlights the arrival of 2026. As seen in beta screenshots, the sticker is bold, animated, and clearly designed to celebrate the New Year.
This sticker is part of a new festive sticker pack released by WhatsApp, which includes multiple New Year-themed designs. Rather than offering just one graphic, WhatsApp has grouped together several celebratory stickers featuring greetings, symbolic visuals, and animations that reflect the transition into a new year. This gives users more flexibility to choose stickers based on their mood or message tone.
Powered by Lottie for Smooth Animations
All stickers in this New Year pack are built using the Lottie framework, a popular animation technology known for delivering smooth and lightweight visuals. Lottie animations scale well across different screen sizes and devices, ensuring they look crisp without consuming too many system resources.
Despite their fluid animations and detailed design, these stickers require minimal storage space. This means users don’t have to worry about performance issues or storage limitations, even on budget or older devices. WhatsApp has clearly aimed to balance visual quality with efficiency.
Where You Can Use the 2026 Sticker
Users who already have access to the feature can start sharing the animated 2026 sticker in multiple places:
- Individual and group chats for New Year wishes
- Channels, allowing creators and admins to post festive updates
- Status updates, making New Year stories more visually appealing
The sticker works seamlessly across all these sections, ensuring a unified festive experience wherever it’s shared.
Special ‘2026’ Layouts for Status Updates
WhatsApp isn’t stopping at stickers alone. For users who have this feature enabled, a new “2026” icon appears inside the Layout tab when creating a status update. This icon highlights layouts designed specifically for the New Year theme.
These layouts are meant to guide users toward adding festive elements, including the 2026 sticker, to their status updates. WhatsApp encourages users to combine photos, videos, and the animated sticker to create eye-catching New Year posts that stand out.
Layouts are especially useful for grouping multiple photos or videos into a single status. Many users rely on this format to share memories from the past year, and the 2026 sticker fits naturally into this storytelling approach by visually tying everything together under a New Year theme.
Limited Availability for Now
While the New Year sticker pack is available to users more broadly, the layout-specific 2026 sticker is currently limited to a small group of Android beta testers. WhatsApp is testing the feature in stages to ensure it works smoothly alongside photos, videos, and other layout elements.
According to current testing patterns, WhatsApp is expected to roll out the feature gradually over the coming days. Once testing is complete, more users should gain access, allowing everyone to celebrate 2026 with animated stickers in their status updates.
A Fun Way to Start 2026 on WhatsApp
With animated stickers, festive layouts, and seasonal effects, WhatsApp is clearly leaning into visual expression as a way to mark special moments. The new 2026 sticker may not change how WhatsApp works, but it definitely changes how New Year messages feel — more colorful, more playful, and more engaging.
As the rollout continues, more users can expect to see these festive features appear on their devices, just in time to kick off 2026 with style.
Also read;
OnePlus Turbo Series — Gaming Powerhouses With Massive Batteries Are Coming Soon
iPhone 16 for Under ₹40,000? Flipkart’s End of Season Sale Makes It Possible
Xiaomi India Bets on ‘Value for Experience’ in 2026, Teases Big Redmi Note and AI Push