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December 31st is not an easy day for WhatsApp. On average every day they are sent to the platform approximately 100 billion messages and made over 2 billion calls. On New Year’s Eve the numbers increase, marking a record. The traffic, as Meta explained, reaches the peak during 24 hours leading up to New Year’s Eve. It is the moment when the service comes under pressure from millions of simultaneous video callscrossed greetings, hyperactive groups that fill with gifs, photos, memes and voice messages often sent in rapid succession.
It’s not just a question of numbers: December 31st is a technical test bed, but also a showcase. That’s why, in late December, the company announced a number of new features think for New Year’s Eve. But it’s about temporary toolsavailable only from December 29th to the first days of January: graphic effects, animations and New Year’s themed content. A targeted intervention, which focuses more on the user experience than on the infrastructure, offering the possibility of personalize greetings and conversations on the busiest day.
Between entertainment and utility: WhatsApp’s strategy for New Year’s Eve
WhatsaApp punta su animazioni, reaction ed effects for video calls. “This year we’ve added some festive touches, available immediately during the holidays, to help you share this moment with the people closest to you,” WhatsApp explained in an official note
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To celebrate the arrival of 2026, Meta has introduced animated stickers dedicated to New Year’s Eve, new graphic layouts and a series of effects for video calls: confetti, fireworks and stars that can be added in real time with a simple touch. Text chats also become more dynamic: by reacting to a message with the confetti emoji, the conversation comes alive with a visual effect.
Added to these elements is a new set of themed stickers and, for the first time, the possibility of inserting animated stickers also in the Statuses, the section that allows you to share updates visible for 24 hours. “Whether you’re texting or calling from New York or New Delhi, Buenos Aires or Jakarta, WhatsApp is where the world comes together privately. We’re grateful to be a part of how you connect with the people you love, privately and securely.”
Alongside the more decorative functions, WhatsApp also continues to push on “practical” ones: the creation of events with lists of participants, surveys to decide what to eat or drink, sharing of real-time position to facilitate night movements.
