WhatsApp Tests New Feature for Faster Sticker Sharing
WhatsApp is currently testing a new feature designed to make sharing stickers quicker and more intuitive for users. The latest WhatsApp beta for iOS, available through Apple's TestFlight program, includes automatic sticker suggestions that appear while users type their messages.
How Sticker Suggestions Work
The feature arrives with WhatsApp beta version 26.1.10.72. It activates when a user types an emoji that has stickers linked to it. A small sticker icon appears next to the send button. Tapping this icon opens a compact results panel showing stickers and GIFs associated with that specific emoji.
Users can also tap a "Show more results" option to expand the selection without leaving the conversation. This approach could remove the need to open the sticker tray and scroll through multiple packs, offering relevant stickers directly from the chat screen.
Emoji Metadata Powers the Suggestions
The sticker suggestions rely on predefined emoji associations added during the sticker creation process. Only stickers that include specific emoji tags are eligible to appear as suggestions. Several third-party sticker creation apps on iOS already support assigning multiple emojis to a single sticker.
This increases the likelihood of relevant stickers appearing at the right moment. It also helps WhatsApp keep suggestions accurate, even for users with large sticker libraries.
Current Limitations and Future Possibilities
Interestingly, stickers created using WhatsApp's own built-in sticker creator do not currently support emoji associations. As a result, those stickers are not eligible for suggestions under the new system. However, this limitation may be temporary.
WhatsApp could update its sticker creation tools before rolling out the feature more widely. The company often tests new tools for several weeks or months before releasing them publicly.
There is no confirmation yet on when sticker suggestions will be available to all users. As with most beta features, the rollout timeline remains unclear. WhatsApp continues to refine the experience based on user feedback from the testing phase.
