WhatsApp for iOS Now Supports Live Photos Sharing

[MacRumors]

WhatsApp has confirmed the introduction of Live Photos support on iPhones running its encrypted chat platform, allowing users to send and receive images captured in the format.

Introduced in 2015, Apple's Live Photos capture 1.5 seconds of video and audio before and after you take a picture, with the aim of adding a little bit of life and movement to still images.

In a blog post on Monday rounding up its recent feature additions, Meta-owned WhatsApp listed support for Live Photos on iOS, as well as Motion Photos – the equivalent format on Android.

When a Live Photo appears in a WhatsApp conversation, the familiar Live Photo symbol appears in the top-left corner of the preview image. Tapping the image plays the related clip as well as accompanying audio.

Among the other features recently added, you can now use Meta AI to design custom chat themes and generate unique video call backgrounds, or add AI-powered backdrops to photos and videos in chats. In addition, finding a group chat has become easier – you can now search for a contact in your Chats tab, and WhatsApp will show the groups you share.

• Make Live Photos Loop, Bounce, and More on iPhone

The new features are said to have been added to the app "over the past few months," so if any don't appear for you, make sure you're running the latest version of WhatsApp.

Article Link: WhatsApp for iOS Now Supports Live Photos Sharing

 

[Asthmatic Kitty]

Hell hath frozen over

 

[Reeneman]

Unfortunately on my private phone it takes always ages that the new features rollout to my phone.

 

[Reeneman]

10 years after apple introduced the live pictures. Thanks Meta 🫡

 

[theadz01]

Could Whatapp also update the notifications on the Apple Watch, so when a photo is received it isn't just a blur?

 

[wanha]

It took Meta 15 years to create an iPad app for Instagram.

It took Meta 10 years to add support for Live Photos in WhatsApp.

Don't look now, but the next long over due Meta feature might only take 5 years

 

[EllZ89]

i see the appeal of it, but ive never been a fan of the live photos.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

i see the appeal of it, but ive never been a fan of the live photos.

I totally forgot that they are a thing. I turned them off years ago and haven't thought about them since.

 

[cbaca51]

Great addition!

 

[n-evo]

Would be nice if we could actually select the new notification sounds too or at the least a custom one from file like Signal.

 

[racerhomie]

It's about godamn time!

 

[ifxf]

I just convert live to gifs to avoid the proprietary live photos format.

 

[wanha]

Would be nice if we could actually select the new notification sounds too or at the least a custom one from file like Signal.

but you see, the notification sound is part of their brand and that's more important than giving consumers what they want because WA has a massive lock-in mechanism in the form of network effects

 

[n-evo]

but you see, the notification sound is part of their brand and that's more important than giving consumers what they want because WA has a massive lock-in mechanism in the form of network effects

I don’t follow. There’s no specific WhatsApp-branded notification sound. It just uses the ones from Apple prior to iOS 18.

 

[GoodTimeNotALongTime]

I detest Meta as much as the next person. But anyone suggesting that Messages in any way is competition for WhatsApp is kidding themselves. It pains me to say it but WhatsApp is far superior.

 

[akbarali.ch]

It needs spam filtering.
feedback section which they removed.
topics/channels
remove messages older than 2 years, 3 years. 1 yr is too short for dont want to delete documents within the financials year.

but they will add support for live images after a decade, i think.

 

[DaveTheRave]

i see the appeal of it, but ive never been a fan of the live photos.

It’s one of my favorite little features in iOS. Love how it gives a bit of context to the moment.

But if it’s not for you maybe disable it in settings to reduce your picture size.

 

[DaveTheRave]

I detest Meta as much as the next person. But anyone suggesting that Messages in any way is competition for WhatsApp is kidding themselves. It pains me to say it but WhatsApp is far superior.

When it comes to managing groups on WA I completely agree.

 

[cookiemonster89]

Now they need to maintain the exif data. I hate it when every picture I get over whatsapp is missing the date and time the photo was taken.

 

[ppdix]

This is a good start... but meta doesn't seem to like Apple at all.
WhatsApp is the most used texting app but it is still crippled on iOS.
You can't see clear photos on Apple Watch, you can't playback audio messages on Apple Watch or CarPlay.
You can't reply with text on Apple Watch.
I am using Watchsapp for Apple Watch which is great and cheap but WhatsApp should be more iOS friendly.

 

[emulajavi]

Live Photos launched 10 years ago…

And 10 years later it is comprised two files, a photo and a video.

It’s sad that they hadn’t established a new mainstream photo format, that in a single file can contain all the information and is universally supported. We are still with .jpeg .heic .mov for the Live Photos, .cr3 for canon photos, etc.

It would be great it there was a .photo (or whatever) file format that supported all current file formats with great quality and would be adopted as standard by everyone. And that on old devices it could at least show a little thumbnail in jpeg so it would be backwards compatible.

 

[Hank001]

I just convert live to gifs to avoid the proprietary live photos format.

There is no proprietary. If you export the original you'll get a .mov and a .heic