Today we have really great news for those of you who use WhatsApp with  iOS. The new 2.16.7.1 Beta release in fact not only comes with several bug fixes and performance improvements, but, finally, adds support for autoplaying GIF images. The news of this latest major change was given by @WABetaInfo, a Twitter account which tracks beta releases of the app.

Unfortunately for the moment we are not yet able to tell you when GIF image support will be available as a stable version and, most importantly, when this latest feature will be available on Android devices as well. But we do know that GIF support was very much awaited by WhatsApp users. And probably it’s not a coincidence that this latest feature has been added soon after that Viber, one of the biggest rivals of WhatsApp, added GIF image support to its platform.

And that’s not all dear WhatsAppers. This latest 2.16.7.1 Beta version of WhatsApp for iOS brings also other changes to the app. Thanks to this latest update, now WhatsApp users will be able to save the gif image to their camera roll (including the option to save it as a simple image), or to reply directly to gif image messages. Furthermore, Beta 2.16.7.1 brings also encryption support for gif sharing and support for 3D Touch actions on gif images (Peek and Pop).

It is a fact that users of instant messaging services are always looking for new ways to communicate their moods and feelings, and sending GIFs seems to be perfect for this purpose. For this reason Facebook itself added the feature on its Messenger app, followed by Twitter. In February, Twitter revealed that last year users of Twitter shared over 100 million GIFs “expressing everything from their mood, to an amazing dunk, to their favorite dance move from a music video“.