WhatsApp update adds filters for editing photos, videos and GIFs

There's also slick new swipe functionality for replies

The update brings WhatsApp even more in line with Instagram (YASUYOSHI CHIBA/AFP/Getty Images)

WhatsApp has added a pair of new features designed to encourage you to share more pictures through it.

The messaging app now offers a selection of filters, which you can use to edit your photographs, videos and even GIFs, before sharing them.

It’s a mildly surprising move, but is clearly designed to keep younger users engaged.

Five filters are currently available – Pop, B&W, Cool, Chrome, and Film – but it’s highly likely that more will be rolled out gradually.

WhatsApp has also started organising pictures a lot more neatly.

Previously, collections of pictures would be stacked on top of each other in a conversation, pushing the latest text messages way out of view.

When you share multiple images now, they’ll appear within a much more compact grid.

If you happen to be sharing a lot of pictures at once, those that can’t appear within the grid will be represented by a plus sign and a number in the bottom-right square.

The update brings WhatsApp even more in line with Instagram. Both companies are owned by Facebook, and both recently added Stories-style ephemeral features, which were taken from Snapchat.

WhatsApp’s latest update has also introduced handy new shortcut functionality, which lets you reply to a specific message by swiping it.

It’s especially useful for cluttered group conversations, which can become fragmented and confusing.

Unfortunately for Android users, the new features have only been added to the iOS version of WhatsApp so far.