WhatsApp Migrates All Tenor Users to GIPHY as Tenor API Officially Shuts Down

WhatsApp has officially completed the transition from Tenor to GIPHY as its primary GIF provider following the shutdown of Tenor’s public API. The server-side migration is now rolling out for both Android and iOS users, ensuring uninterrupted GIF search without requiring an app update or any user action.

The change comes after Tenor reached its announced API deprecation deadline on July 1, 2026, making it impossible for applications that relied on its API to continue accessing GIF content through the service.

WhatsApp Migrates All Tenor Users to GIPHY as Tenor API Officially Shuts Down

Unlike major feature rollouts, WhatsApp has made this transition entirely behind the scenes. Users won’t notice any visual changes inside the app, and the company has not published an official announcement regarding the switch.

Those who previously received GIF results from Tenor are now automatically using GIPHY. The migration has been handled on the server side, meaning users do not need to update WhatsApp or modify any settings.

Why WhatsApp Needed a Replacement

Until now, WhatsApp relied on two separate GIF providers—GIPHY and Tenor.

This dual-provider approach allowed the messaging platform to:

• Reduce reliance on a single GIF service.
• Distribute search traffic across multiple providers.
• Improve reliability and minimize the risk of service interruptions.

With Tenor’s API now discontinued, WhatsApp needed an immediate replacement to maintain uninterrupted GIF search functionality.

GIPHY Chosen Over Klipy

Earlier reports suggested WhatsApp might introduce Klipy as Tenor’s replacement. However, that prediction has not materialized—at least not yet.

Instead, WhatsApp has opted to migrate all affected users to GIPHY, a platform that is already fully integrated into the application and has a long-standing reputation as one of the world’s largest GIF libraries.

Choosing GIPHY allows WhatsApp to avoid deploying a newer, less-tested platform during a critical infrastructure transition affecting millions of users worldwide.

What Changes for Users?

For most users, the experience remains virtually identical.

GIF searches continue to work directly from the keyboard, with no changes to the interface or workflow. The only difference is that search results now come from GIPHY instead of Tenor.

Because GIPHY and Tenor use different indexing and ranking algorithms, some users may notice that identical search terms return different GIFs than before. However, the overall functionality remains unchanged.

Klipy May Still Be Part of WhatsApp’s Future Plans

Although Klipy was not selected to replace Tenor immediately, references to the platform reportedly remain within WhatsApp’s codebase.

This suggests the company has not abandoned plans to integrate Klipy. Instead, WhatsApp may continue testing the service before eventually introducing it as a second GIF provider alongside GIPHY.

Such a move would restore the multi-provider strategy that previously existed with GIPHY and Tenor, reducing dependence on a single service while improving scalability.

Rollout Underway

The migration from Tenor to GIPHY is currently rolling out to WhatsApp users on both Android and iOS.

Anyone who previously relied on Tenor for GIF searches now automatically redirected to GIPHY, ensuring that GIF search remains fully operational despite Tenor’s API shutdown.

While the transition is largely invisible to end users, it represents an important backend infrastructure update that allows WhatsApp to maintain a seamless messaging experience without disruption.