WhatsApp is testing sticker suggestions based on what you type

Whatsapp Group Message on iPhone X (Image credit: Luke Filipowicz/iMore)

What you need to know

WhatsApp is testing sticker suggestions in its latest TestFlight beta.
Users can type a word and have WhatsApp suggest a sticker.

WhatsApp is testing a new feature that will see iPhone users presented with a sticker suggestion based on the words that they type into a message. The feature is currently available to those who are part of the WhatsApp TestFlight program, although there is no word on when or if the feature will be made available to everyone.

First spotted by WABetaInfo, the feature is similar to Emoji suggestions that iOS makes when typing across all apps, but this time it gives people quick and easy access to a sticker that might do a better job than the words they're using.

When you type a specific word or emoji that reflects one of the stickers in your sticker library, WhatsApp will animate the sticker button, in order to alert you that a sticker has been found.

You can check the video below to see how the feature currently works, although things could change in a future beta or before the feature is made available to everyone.

Default WhatsApp sticker packs already support this feature, so if you have installed one of them, try to type emojis or specific words in the chat bar, to see if the feature is available for your WhatsApp account.

WhatsApp is hugely popular throughout the world, although its use in the United States is still relatively low. The proliferation of iPhone and iMessage use is likely one of those reasons. Missing out on all that? Check out the best iPhone deals to see if you can bag yourself a bargain. Nobody deserves to be a green bubble in this day and age, right?

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too.

Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.