Recently, Telegram introduced the 2GB file size limit for media exchange on its apps in an announcement that was more of a jibe at WhatsApp. WhatsApp does not allow certain files, including documents, of over 100MB. Another example of file size restrictions on the platform is the 100MB limit for media files. For what it is worth, low-sized stickers will not cause WhatsApp servers to jam for a long time and put less pressure on the data connection, resulting in a faster texting experience - something that the Facebook-owned company likely wants to prioritise. The only animated stickers supported on WhatsApp come from partner developers via the sticker store, which means they have been made in compliance with WhatsApp’s guidelines on file size. When users begin to create stickers by themselves using third-party apps, they end up creating heavy-sized stickers, which WhatsApp is prematurely putting a restriction on. WhatsApp still does not allow third-party animated stickers, which means the scope of customisation is quite scarce. The curbs are now in place but their impact is unknown on WhatsApp users. WhatsApp has restricted the file size to prevent some users from creating “bad stickers” and sending them “irresponsibly”. However, the limit may vary depending on the platform (Android or iOS). According to WABetaInfo, the Facebook-owned chat app has a 1MB per sticker limit on how large animate sticker files can be. This means if an animated sticker exceeds the limit, it will neither be sent nor forwarded to any contacts. WhatsApp is now placing curbs on how large the animated stickers can be. Since animated stickers are dynamic, they occupy more storage than the regular ones.
WhatsApp introduced stickers in 2018 but it was only a few weeks back animated stickers also became compatible on the platform.