WhatsApp has added New Year themed stickers, call effects, and fun reactions to help users share festive greetings easily.
Video calls now feel more celebratory with fireworks and confetti effects for virtual New Year moments.
New features like animated status stickers, polls, and event tools make planning and sharing celebrations simpler.
As the new year gets closer, WhatsApp has introduced new festive features to help people send new year greetings. WhatsApp says that New Year’s Eve is the busiest day of the year for the app in all countries. In a blog post, WhatsApp shared that it handles about billions messages and calls every day. These numbers increase even more during New Year celebrations. To add to the festive mood, WhatsApp has released special New Year features, including new sticker packs designed especially for the New Year.
Survey2026 sticker pack for New Year wishes
WhatsApp has provided a dedicated ‘2026 sticker pack’ that one can access directly from the sticker tray. The pack consists of festive designs focused on New Year celebrations to make it easier to send in cheerful greetings instead of searching for third-party stickers. These stickers are meant for one-on-one chats, just like group conversations, for a limited festive period. As such, the new sticker pack serves as a simple way for those users who like adding a visual touch to their messages to spread New Year cheer.
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New video call effects for virtual celebrations
WhatsApp has added special effects to the app, which one can turn on during calls to make New Year celebrations over video calls a lot more special. Fireworks, confetti, and star animations are some of the many screen effects that users can trigger by tapping the effects icon to turn on during calls. These are designed to give a feel of enjoyment to virtual countdowns for friends and families that cannot assemble together. And since video calls have now become an intrinsic part of long-distance celebrations, these additions help replicate at least some of the cheeriness on the screen.
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Animated confetti reactions make a comeback
WhatsApp has also restored its confetti reaction animation to mark the coming year. When users manage to react to any message with the confetti emoji, this animation shows up, which makes any group chat session more interesting and fun. This particular option was earlier being used to put out messages mainly related to any occasion, but now this has also returned to mark the onset of the new year.
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Animated stickers arrive on status for the first time
For the very first time in the history of the messaging service, WhatsApp has finally incorporated the feature of ‘Animated Stickers’ into the Status feature. Users on the messaging service are able to create New Year status messages using a special ‘2026 layout’ along with the feature of ‘Animated Stickers’. This is the best way for people on the messaging service to create holiday-themed status messages. The updated feature should have a positive impact on the holiday season status messages.
WhatsApp shares tips for new year planning
WhatsApp has not only introduced some awesome additional features, but the messaging application has also brought forth some tips for their users to organise their New Year celebrations in a better manner. The users can now organise events in group messages and pin them, so it becomes easy for everyone to coordinate the plans accordingly. Polls can also be used for the type of food, the list of songs, or even the activities that can be performed, while the live location feature helps friends in finding the spot or getting back home safely. Those who have not been able to attend the party can now communicate with their friends through voice notes and video notes, so they feel special despite not being there at the event.
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Bhaskar Sharma
Bhaskar is a senior copy editor at Digit India, where he simplifies complex tech topics across iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, and emerging consumer tech. His work has appeared in iGeeksBlog, GuidingTech, and other publications, and he previously served as an assistant editor at TechBloat and TechReloaded. A B.Tech graduate and full-time tech writer, he is known for clear, practical guides and explainers. View Full Profile
