E-MagazineWhatsApp now lets users expand images to 16:9 with single tap, but there is a catch
WhatsApp is testing the Expand tool in Android beta 2.26.44.8 and iOS beta 26.44.10.16 for select users.
The feature uses Meta AI to expand images by analysing their content and edges rather than simply stretching them.
The tool appears in the drawing editor when testers upload images with an aspect ratio other than 16:9.
Meta-owned messaging platform WhatsApp tests new features across its smartphone, PC and web experiences at regular intervals. In the latest update for beta users on Android, the company is introducing a feature that lets people expand their photos. This includes expanding any photo into 9:16 format. According to WABetaInfo, the feature is expanding to both the status and chats media picker.
The report added that the tool to expand images to 9:16 may have a single-tap operation. The AI feature is rolling out in the WhatsApp beta for Android 2.26.44.8 and WhatsApp beta for iOS 26.44.10.16 updates, to select users. It is expected to expand to more users in the coming weeks. The “Expand” image tool in the drawing editor will use Meta AI and join the background removal and description-based editing and new image generation features.
How WhatsApp image expansion work?
To check if the feature is available in your beta build, upload a non-9:16 aspect ratio image in the drawing editor and head to the “Edit” tab next to the Styles and Filters tab. If the feature is available, it will show up next to the “Background” and “Describe” icons. As per the hints in the trial images shared by WABetaInfo, the single-click feature may expand any aspect ratio images into 16:9, the ideal aspect ratio to upload as WhatsApp Status.
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature to expand images on iOS! WhatsApp is introducing a feature that lets users expand photos in their chats and status updates. https://t.co/KBj3Om4hIN https://t.co/HGzm7I2SRi
— WABetaInfo (@WABetaInfo) November 5, 2026
Beta users must update to the latest version from the Google Play Store to check if the tool is available for their accounts. Readers should note that the feature may use artificial intelligence for expansion, which implies the image may be processed in the cloud to complete the operation. WABetaInfo noted that users may get the option to either use the generated results or request another version of the expanded image.
Meta is said to analyse the content in the frame and its edges to generate a taller version rather than just stretching the content abruptly. The “Expand” feature will only show up when an image having an aspect ratio other than 16:9 is uploaded to WhatsApp and is edited using the media picker. For instance, uploading a portrait image may not trigger the feature, and it might not show up.
