WhatsApp is steadily rolling out new features across Android, iOS, and desktop, and its latest iPhone beta introduces support for sharing Live Photos in their original format.
As spotted by WABetaInfo, the feature is currently available in the iOS beta version 25.24.10.72. It allows iPhone users to send and receive Live Photos while preserving both motion and sound, exactly as they were captured.
Until now, WhatsApp only displayed a still frame when Live Photos were shared. Users could convert them into GIFs by long-pressing the image, but that often resulted in reduced quality, lower frame rates, and no audio.
WhatsApp will now natively support Live Photos. Shared Live Photos will display a special icon in the preview, and tapping the preview will open the image in fullscreen with a “Live” label. Selecting the label will play the photo in motion with audio.
Recipients will also have the option to save Live Photos, which will then appear in their iPhone Photos app in the original format. WhatsApp is further adding a toggle, giving users control over whether they want to share images as Live Photos or as static images.
Importantly, the feature isn’t limited to iOS alone—WhatsApp plans to make Live Photos cross-platform. iPhone users will be able to send Live Photos that appear as Motion Photos on Android, and Android users will be able to share Motion Photos back to iOS.
Currently, the feature is rolling out to beta testers on TestFlight for iOS, with a wider release expected for both iPhone and Android users in the coming weeks.
