WhatsApp has announced that New Year’s continues to be the platform’s busiest day globally, with the company reporting record‑breaking volumes of messages and calls every year as people connect with friends and family around the world. While WhatsApp typically handles more than 100 billion messages and 2 billion calls on an average day, activity during the 24‑hour New Year celebration consistently surpasses all other periods.
According to the company, New Year’s Eve brings a surge of video calls that reunite families across continents and group chats that coordinate celebrations, underscoring WhatsApp’s role in helping people share meaningful moments privately and securely.
To mark the holiday season, WhatsApp has introduced several festive features designed to make celebrations more expressive and fun:
- 2026 sticker pack: a new collection that lets users share their excitement for the coming year.
- Video call effects: fireworks, confetti and star animations that can be activated during video calls.
- Animated confetti reactions: special effects triggered when reacting with the confetti emoji.
- Animated stickers in Status: for the first time, users can add animated stickers to Status using a special 2026 layout.
WhatsApp also shared tips to help users plan New Year gatherings more smoothly through group chats. These include creating and pinning an event to track RSVPs, using polls to decide food and activities, sharing live location for safety and coordination, and sending video or voice notes to capture moments for friends who cannot attend.
As millions prepare to welcome the new year from cities such as New York, New Delhi, Buenos Aires and Jakarta, WhatsApp says it remains committed to being the place where the world privately comes together to connect with the people who matter most.
