All sorts of mistakes can happen when communicating via WhatsApp. For example, if you mistype something or forward a message to the wrong person. But there is currently another mishap that is happening to a lot of people.

A recent update brought about a change in the way GIFs, the popular animated images, are sent. These are often used to illustrate reactions and can now accidentally end up in the chat without you intending to send them directly.

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How to send GIFs correctly

The change mainly affects Android smartphones. If you go to GIFs in WhatsApp and look for a real image, you could previously activate a kind of preview and add text by tapping on the image. That is no longer possible, because with a tap you send the GIF immediately.

This means that a GIF can easily slip out. If an embarrassing image ends up with your parents, for example, who see it straight away, it’s extremely annoying. You also have to search for the right GIF again after sending it.

This is how it’s done correctly: To activate the enlarged view for a GIF, you now have to press and hold your finger on the image. This is a little less intuitive, especially if you have been used to the other approach for a long time.

Here, too, you can add a message to the GIF and then click Send to send the animated image.

Whatsapp will soon play GIFs automatically

Why the change?

Whatsapp has probably changed the way GIFs are sent to make everything quicker and easier. However, the change is a bit strange at first and causes problems. One or two GIFs have already been sent too early by mistake.

Some people will see a notification about the change when they open WhatsApp, but others may have simply overlooked it. In any case, you now know how to send GIFs correctly.