Last updated on March 9, 2021
In WhatsApp you can create your own GIFs and send personal emoji stickers. TECHBOOK explains how it works.
WhatsApp is one of the most popular messengers worldwide. It is now used not only on smartphones, but also more and more frequently on PCs. The users are becoming more and more demanding – simply sending texts is often no longer enough for them. Instead, they are increasingly pimping their chats with emojis, stickers or animated GIFs. It becomes more individual when you send your own creations. Creating GIFs and stickers on WhatsApp is very easy.
Send GIFs via WhatsApp
WhatsApp has integrated a GIF search engine for several years. You will find this in the window with the emojis, at the bottom there is the word “GIF”. Next to it you will find a small search window. Simply enter a suitable term, for example “Birthday” for a suitable birthday GIF, and search for the appropriate image.
The GIFs come from the well-known Giphy and Tenor services and are integrated directly into WhatsApp. You don’t need to laboriously download them and send them individually. This works for both iOS and Android. But it is even more creative and, above all, more personal to send your own GIFs via WhatsApp.
Create GIFs yourself
If you have recorded a video with your mobile phone and want to send it to friends as a GIF, WhatsApp comes with a well-equipped editor with which you can create a GIF from a video of up to six seconds. In addition, the GIF can be enriched with text, emojis and small paintings.
The practical thing about GIFs compared to videos is that the clips take up significantly less memory and also don’t open in a new window when you play them back. The obvious disadvantage is that it is a pure picture format, so audio cannot be played.
And this is how you can create individual GIFs:
Create GIFs on iPhone
To turn a video into a GIF, press the plus symbol next to the text field and select the Photo and video library option. Select a video that you want to send as a GIF and a preview window will open. Now trim the clip to a maximum of six seconds. The GIF button will appear automatically if the clip is short enough. Tap it once – and you can send your own video as a GIF.
Create GIFs on Android smartphone
On the Android smartphone, press the paper clip symbol and then on Gallery or, alternatively, the camera symbol next to it. Select a video that you want to send as a GIF and a preview window will open. The same applies to the iPhone: Trim the clip to a maximum of six seconds and a switch appears that can be used to convert the video into a GIF. When the video is cropped, select the GIF option and click the send icon – done.
Create your own stickers for WhatsApp
WhatsApp has been offering users the option of using their own stickers for some time. They are similar to emojis, with the difference that they are displayed larger and cannot easily be transferred to other platforms such as iMessage or Telegram.
Unlike emojis, stickers can also be created and added to WhatsApp with the help of certain apps.
Create stickers on Android smartphones
There are several apps for Android in the Google Play Store that you can use to design your own stickers. The “Wemoji” app does contain advertising, but it is free to use. The practical thing about Wemoji: Stickers can not only be created with your own pictures, but also on the basis of existing emojis. For example, you can give a happy smiley face cool sunglasses and a new haircut – the possibilities are diverse.
- Download Wemoji from the Play Store
- Open the app and give permission to access the storage by clicking on Allow
- Select the Create Sticker option
- Now you can insert your own pictures, emojis and pre-made stickers and create your own personal sticker
- Click on Save and give your sticker pack a name and an author – then confirm with Save
- You will now be asked if you want to add the sticker to WhatsApp – click on Add
- Now open WhatsApp and click on the smiley face icon in the chat text field
- Your sticker pack should now be previewed and you can click on it to see the stickers it contains
- If not, press the circled plus symbol and then switch to My Stickers
Create stickers on iPhone
An app is also required on the iPhone in order to save self-created emojis as stickers in WhatsApp.
Insert emoji as stickers in WhatsApp:
- Download the “Sticker Maker” app from the App Store
- Click on Create sticker pack and assign a name and author for the pack – confirm with Create
- Now open the sticker pack and allow access to the photos with OK
- Select a photo from your gallery that you would like to crop into a sticker
- Cut out the emoji with Cut Circle or use Freehand to cut out with your finger
- Click Save Sticker and choose a place in the sticker pack
- Now press on Add sticker pack in WhatsApp (only works if there is an icon and at least three stickers in the pack)
- Confirm the pop-up with Open and then press Save
- In the chat text field in WhatsApp, click on the small sticker symbol on the right-hand side – your sticker pack should now appear in the preview
- If not, press the circled plus symbol on the right edge of the screen and select My Stickers
Create memoji on iPhone
In addition to the “normal” emojis, iOS also has “memojis” – animated smileys that you can create yourself. You should represent these yourself so that you can respond with personal reactions on WhatsApp or elsewhere.
- In a WhatsApp chat, click the smiley face icon on the iOS keyboard
- Under the tab “Often used” click on the three circled points
- Press the three points again
- Put together a personal Memoji and save with Done
