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WhatsApp to add stickers, encourages artists to create more

Express yourself in new ways as more get added.

Sean Keane Former Senior Writer
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You're going to have more quick options for expressing yourself on WhatsApp in the coming weeks.

WhatsApp

WhatsApp is supplementing its GIFs and emoji with stickers, and encouraging artists to add to the selection.

The Facebook-owned messaging service is launching packs created by its own designers and some outside creators, it said Thursday.

To use them, you just tap the new sticker button and make your choice.

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The company is trying to inspire other artists to make more by releasing a set of APIs and interfaces that allow you to create new third-party sticker packs that can be added to the initial set via the Google Play Store or Apple's App Store.

The stickers will start showing up on Android and iOS in the next few weeks, but Gadgets 360 reported that they'd shown up in some regions on Friday with 12 initial packs available for use.

Stickers have been available on Facebook's own Messenger service since 2013, a year before it bought WhatsApp for $19 billion.