WhatsApp is testing an AI Expand tool that can turn a square or landscape photo into a taller image for chats and Status. It generates new detail around the edges instead of stretching the original photo. WABetaInfo spotted it in WhatsApp beta for iPhone 26.44.10.16, with access limited to some accounts. WhatsApp has not announced a date for everyone to get it.
The appeal is easy to see if you post Status updates often: a photo that was not shot vertically could fill a 9:16 frame without leaving WhatsApp. But the added background is AI-generated, so check the result before you share it.
How WhatsApp Expand works on iPhone
If Expand is available on your account, choose a photo for a chat or Status and open WhatsApp’s drawing editor. Look for Expand among the AI editing tools. The app builds a taller version and shows it to you before anything is sent. You can undo the edit or try again if it gets a face, building or background wrong.
A square photo is a sensible one to try. WABetaInfo says the control may not appear when the photo is already in a supported vertical format. The tool is still rolling out, so a missing button does not necessarily mean your iPhone is incompatible.
Can you use it in India?
There is no India release date for Expand. WABetaInfo reported a limited iPhone beta rollout and says some people on the regular app also see it. Access may vary by account even when WhatsApp is up to date. WhatsApp’s own Help Center warns that Meta AI features are not available to every user in every market.
WhatsApp has already announced broader Meta AI photo editing in chats, including background changes and touch-ups. That official announcement does not confirm when Expand will reach every iPhone. If you cannot find it, keep the app updated and check again later. There is no need to install a separate APK or switch regions for a beta feature.
What about Android?
WABetaInfo also reported Expand in an Android beta build before the iPhone report. The idea is the same: add generated edges, preview the image, then choose whether to send it. Neither beta report amounts to an official worldwide release announcement.
For now, this is a useful feature to watch rather than one to expect on every phone today. When it does appear, judge the generated edges closely. A clean crop may still look better than an AI background that invents details you never photographed.
