WhatsApp has announced New Year 2026 features that will be available for the next few weeks and the world rings in the new year and wishing everyone using the messaging app. We have seen the platform add
new features regularly but this one is more timed with the big event and you get these options across video calls, status updates and even reactions to mark the occasion later this week.
WhatsApp New Year 2026 Additions: What You Get
“This year, we’ve added a few festive touches, available now through the holiday, to help you share the moment with people who matter most,” WhatsApp has said in its blog post.
So what do you get with the new WhatsApp feature drop this month?
2026 sticker pack: Use the latest 2026 sticker pack to wish everyone Happy New Year.
Video call effects: WhatsApp is adding new special effects that will be visible during a video call. You can have fireworks, confetti, and star animations lighting up the screen when you are calling your friend or a close one.
Animated confetti reactions: WhatsApp is also offering special reactions when using the confetti emoji to react to messages from users.
Status updates: And finally, you have some New Year 2026 flavour coming through with status updates. You have new animated stickers on Status with a 2026 layout of an animated sticker.
These New Year 2026 features are likely to be available for a limited time, and you should definitely give them a try and wish your friends a festive way.
India’s premier cybersecurity agency, CERT-In (Indian Computer Emergency Response Team), has issued a high-severity advisory regarding a critical vulnerability in WhatsApp’s device-linking feature. Dubbed “GhostPairing”, the exploit allows malicious actors to take “complete” control of a user’s WhatsApp account without needing a password, an OTP, or a physical SIM swap.
By leveraging this flaw, attackers can gain real-time access to a victim’s entire chat history, including sensitive photos, videos, voice notes, and live messages on the web version of the platform. When a user clicks the link, they are redirected to a fraudulent “verification” page that mimics the official Facebook or WhatsApp Web interface.
CERT-In has urged all Indian “Digital Nagriks” to exercise extreme caution when receiving unsolicited links, even from known contacts.
