]]>
WhatsApp currently allows you to send a number of different file types, but at this moment in time you are restricted when it comes to sending a GIF to other users. At first, this does sound rather strange as we are used to sending them via email or viewing them on various websites, so this then begs the question. Will a future version of WhatsApp offer this or will it always remain something that has to be done via a third party app?
Is There A Need For It?
Before we think about whether or not it will be included in future versions, we have to think about something else, is there actually a desire for it? To be honest, you can search on the Internet and there is not exactly a groundswell of opinion on this matter and people do not appear to be crying out for it. There is instead an acceptance that we can live without this as it hardly plays a major role in our conversations and this is the part that could help WhatsApp to ultimately decide if they want to make the relevant changes so that this becomes a reality.
Is It So Difficult To Do?
This is another part that you need to think about because is supporting sending a GIF so difficult to do and is that why it has not been included at this point? The answer to this is that it is not that difficult as it has been done by third party companies that have felt that this is something that is lacking and they have had a limited amount of success with it all. If they can do it, with a much smaller budget, then it is hardly going to prove to be impossible for the likes of WhatsApp and their engineers.
What this means is that we have to go back to the earlier point and come to the conclusion that WhatsApp agree that, at this point, there is no need for it as it is just not popular enough. This point is backed up by other similar apps as they also tend to rely on add-ons developed by other companies to allow the sending of a GIF via their network, so if the industry as a whole thinks along the same lines, then WhatsApp will hardly feel compelled to develop it themselves.
So, what is the future?
- WhatsApp will watch those third party apps to see how popular they become.
- They will check to see if there is a need or desire for supporting the sending of a GIF.
- They already have the technicians that can include it if they wanted to.
- Other apps are thinking along the same lines as WhatsApp.
So, will they support the sending of a GIF in the future? You could argue that they already do thanks to those third party apps just it is not directly done through themselves.
You get the feeling that this particular development is pretty far down the list of things that they might be interested in doing in the future, so do not expect anything soon and just get used to a life without a GIF, at least in the world of an instant message app.
Related ItemsWhatsApp
