WhatsApp fans have some tasty new treats to try from today. The Meta-owned chat app has just confirmed the release of a blockbuster update which includes four big new features aimed at making messaging a bit more fun. The changes are available from today and include new camera effects when sending videos or photos to friends and the ability to turn your selfies into stickers which can then be added to conversations.

WhatsApp is also allowing users to share sticker packs and is making it easier to react to messages without having to type long replies.

"We’re always working on making WhatsApp easier to use and more fun, so we’re excited to kick off the new year with a variety of new features and design improvements," the service said in an email sent to Express.co.uk.

The update is rolling out now across Android and iPhone, so make sure your apps are up to date, or you might miss out.

HERE ARE ALL THE NEW FEATURES IN THIS RELEASE

Camera effects: WhatsApp launched effects in video calls last year which it said users "loved". Now, when you take and send a video or photo in your chats, you can choose from the same 30 backgrounds, filters and effects to transform your shots.

Selfie stickers: For fans of custom stickers, now you can turn your selfie straight into a sticker. Just tap the create sticker icon and you’ll see the camera option to take a selfie and create your sticker. Available on Android and coming to iOS soon.

Share a sticker pack: Spotted a sticker pack you know your friend will love? Now you can easily share them directly in your chats.

Quicker reactions: Now you can double tap a message to react and quickly scroll through your most-used reactions.

There's no official timeline for when all phones will get this update but WhatsApp usually rolls things out slowly across the world so some of the upgrades may take a few weeks to arrive on all devices.

This major update comes as UK WhatsApp users have been placed on red alert and told to watch out for the infamous "Friends and Family" scam. That warning has come from the UK security team at Action Fraud with users being urged to be alert and report anything suspicious.

"If a family member or friend makes an unusual request on WhatsApp, always call the person outside of WhatsApp to confirm their identity," Action Fraud said in a post on X.

"Report spam messages or block a sender within WhatsApp. Press and hold on the message bubble, select ‘Report’ and then follow the instructions.

"If you lost money as a result of the scam message, please report it to Action Fraud."