WhatsApp beta for Android 2.26.1.4: what's new?

WhatsApp has released a new Android update through the Google Play Beta Program, bringing the version up to 2.26.1.4.
What's new in this update? WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that allows users to celebrate 2026 with a special Lottie sticker, and it's available to some beta testers!

Celebrate 2026 with a special animated sticker on WhatsApp

In the article about the WhatsApp beta for Android 2.25.35.11 update, we announced that a feature that shows a confetti animation for emoji reactions is available. This enhancement introduces a festive visual effect that appears when users react with supported celebration-themed emojis. The animation is purely decorative and is intended to make conversations feel more lively and engaging during special moments. It applies across chats, channels, and status updates, ensuring a consistent experience. The feature is designed as a seasonal addition and will be available for a limited time this holiday season.

Today, WhatsApp is launching the second functionality dedicated to the festive period, released in anticipation of the New Year. This marks the first update of 2026 and it is designated to mark the New Year through seasonal enhancements and visual experiences. Following the release of the latest WhatsApp beta for Android 2.26.1.4 update, which is available on the Google Play Store, we discovered that WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that allows users to celebrate 2026 with a special Lottie sticker!

As you can see from the attached screenshot, some beta testers can explore a new animated sticker designed to mark the start of 2026. This indicates that WhatsApp is now testing an additional fresh visual element tied to the New Year experience. This sticker is included in a sticker pack released today by WhatsApp, which focuses on festive themes such as New Year greetings, symbolic graphics, and animated elements meant to convey a sense of transition into the New Year. The sticker pack is not limited to a single graphic, but instead groups together multiple celebratory stickers that users can choose from depending on the tone of their message.

All stickers in this pack have been created using the Lottie framework, a technology that allows designers to build smooth, lightweight, and scalable animations that play fluidly across different devices. Thanks to Lottie, these stickers maintain high visual quality without negatively affecting performance or increasing resource usage. Despite their rich animations and crisp visuals, the sticker pack requires minimal storage, so users can enjoy the full-quality experience without using excessive space on their devices. This balance ensures that even devices with limited storage can handle the stickers smoothly while preserving their vibrant appearance.

Users who receive access to this feature can already send the 2026 sticker in individual and group chats, making New Year messages more visually expressive. The same sticker can also be shared in channels, allowing creators and administrators to publish festive updates with a more dynamic appearance. In addition, WhatsApp supports this sticker within status updates, giving users another way to visually mark the transition into the new year. As a result, the sticker is designed to work seamlessly across chats, channels, and status updates, providing a consistent festive experience for all users who have access to it.

Beyond simple sharing, WhatsApp is encouraging users to experiment with layouts when creating status updates. If the feature is enabled for the user, a new "2026" icon appears within the Layout tab of the status creation screen. This icon highlights layouts specifically associated with the New Year theme, guiding users to add seasonal stickers and design elements that enhance the festive feel. WhatsApp recommends including the 2026 sticker in these layouts to give updates a distinctive seasonal touch, as it visually emphasizes the transition into the new year and adds a playful, festive element that complements photos, videos, and other media within the layout.

Layouts are particularly useful for combining multiple photos or videos into a single status update, offering a more structured way to tell a story. For many users, this approach makes it easier to gather memories from the past year into one cohesive update. In this context, a sticker dedicated to 2026 fits naturally, as it visually ties together different moments under a shared New Year theme. The animated nature of the sticker helps draw attention without overwhelming the rest of the content.

The sticker pack dedicated to the New Year is now available to all users, allowing everyone to add festive stickers to chats, channels, and status updates. However, the 2026 sticker specifically designed for layouts is currently accessible only to a limited group of beta testers on Android. Testing in smaller waves allows the development team to ensure that the sticker works correctly within layouts and can be applied seamlessly alongside photos, videos, and other elements. Over the coming days, this layout-specific sticker will be gradually rolled out to all users, making it easier for everyone to enhance their status updates with a distinctive New Year-themed design.

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