WhatsApp is testing an option to automatically play animated GIFs

The GIF format is older than many people on the Internet (it was first released in June 1987), but it is as popular as ever as it is the format of choice for sharing animated memes on social media. Except that doesn’t quite work on WhatsApp, which requires the user to tap the image to see the animation.

WhatsApp beta 2.23.10.2 for Android will change that slightly – animated GIFs will now play automatically the first time they are viewed. However, as WABetaInfo notes, WhatsApp will only play the animation once, even if the GIF is looped. After that, the familiar “GIF” badge appears and you have to tap the image again if you want to see the animation again.

That’s probably for the best, because

an endlessly looping animation can quickly become annoying. Anyway, this is a pretty small update, but it will make sharing animated memes more fun, so it can have a big effect on your chats.

If you’re part of the WhatsApp TestFlight program, you may already have access to auto-playing GIFs – if not, the new feature is gradually being enabled for more users and will eventually be pushed out to all users.

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