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WhatsApp finally rolled out much expected GIF feature from an instant messaging app a few days back. Now, with the latest WhatsApp version(Android- 2.16.310, iOS –2.16.16) apart from photos and videos you can send and receive GIF messages on WhatsApp with the new update. If you are facing any difficulty in using GIF messages then follow this tutorial to send GIF on WhatsApp in Android and iPhone.
Messaging becomes a lot more fun when an Animated GIF is used in messages. Sharing funny GIF’s or comical part of a video as GIF will definitely enrich the communication. So why not use it on most used messaging app WhatsApp.
Send GIF On WhatsApp
For Android
Provided you have the latest WhatsApp version for Android, go ahead and follow the steps given below.
1. Open WhatsApp and select the conversation/chat of desired contact/group to whom you want to send GIF.
2. Tap on the attachment icon at the top to the left of options. Select Gallery from the options presented.
3. Select the desired video(will be converted to GIF) which you desire to send as GIF from Gallery.
4. This is the most important step which will let you send video as a GIF in latest WhatsApp version. Tap on the Video icon at the top right corner. You will notice that it will switch to GIF which is what you wanted.
You can select the specific part of the video you want to send as GIF from the bar given at the bottom. Sending a large video as GIF wouldn’t make much sense of course. Finally, add the caption desired and tap on Send(right arrow button)
And the sender will get the animated GIF making the messages more interesting and fun.
We highly recommend you to go through the list of WhatsApp hacks, tricks and features which will allow you to use WhatsApp in a better way.
How To Send A GIF File Present In Gallery?
If you wish to send a GIF file which is there on Android smartphone then firstly you will have to convert it to video and then use the inbuilt WhatsApp feature to send video as a GIF as explained above.
To convert GIF to video make use of GIF to Video app from the following link.
Once the app is installed, open it. The app will detect all the GIF files and load them into the app. Select the desired GIF you want to convert to video. Finally, select Convert.
The GIF will be converted to video and now follow the steps given above to send it as a GIF on WhatsApp.
Send GIF On WhatsApp For iPhone
For iOS, WhatsApp released a new update yesterday(8 November 2016) which made it possible to send GIF. Earlier, iOS users could only send GIF while forwarding WhatsApp messages. Here are the simple steps to send GIF on iOS device.
1. After updating the WhatsApp to latest version open it and select the desired conversation.
2. Tap on + at the bottom left corner and select Photo & Video Library.
3. Now, you have 2 options. Either tap on GIF at the bottom left corner of the screen to send GIF from GIPHY or select a video in Camera roll which is 6 seconds or less.
4. If you choose a video from Camera roll, then select the GIF tab to send the video as GIF. This option won’t be shown if the selected section is longer than 6 seconds. Lastly, tap on Send(forward arrow icon).

You can even send a video as GIF directly from the Camera roll as well. By selecting the video and tapping on share icon. Finally, selecting WhatsApp and toggling to GIF before sending.
We hope that you got to know how to send GIF on WhatsApp.
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Hi, i registered to be a beta tester for whatsapp and downloaded the latest 2.16.290 version, however the convert to GIF button that you mentioned did not appear on top right of the screen. Can you inform me on the version you are using? Many thanks.
Hi Pujo,
Please use WhatsApp version 2.16.310 for Android to use GIF feature.
Is it possible to actually create gifs on iOS already? I can’t find the GIF tag option when sending videos… I can only see and forward other gif messages sent to me.
Hi Wilhelm,
Yes the GIF tag is not yet there in iOS app. However, I am looking for ways through which GIF can be sent from iOS device. Will update it here once I find the solution.
Hi Wilhem,
With latest WhatsApp update released yesterday, now you can see the GIF option in the official WhatsApp iOS app. I have updated the article with the latest information. I hope this helps 🙂