We first picked up on a report that claimed that WhatsApp was testing a new feature called Status that was similar to Snapchat Stories. The Facebook-owned company confirmed it today. The WhatsApp Status feature is out now and simply put, it’s just an encrypted version of Snapchat Stories. Facebook-owned services appear to have a penchant of copying what Snapchat has done with Stories.
WhatsApp Status enables users to share photos and videos with their contacts on WhatsApp. All status updated are encrypted end-to-end.
WhatsApp Status updates can be posted using the in-app camera. The photos can then be edited with text, drawings, and emoji. Once they have been posted they will appear in the new “status” tab in the app. Contacts will be able to view the status updates for the next 24 hours after which they will automatically disappear. They will also be able to reply to updates directly from the post.
This isn’t the first time that a Facebook service has copied Snapchat Stories. It started with Instagram and was later done by Facebook Messenger and then Facebook proper, but both are currently testing the feature in select markets. WhatsApp is the second service which has rolled out this feature to all users across the globe.
The WhatsApp Status feature is rolling to all of its billion-plus users starting today and it will be available soon to everyone on iOS, Android, and Windows Phone.
Filed in . Read more about Whatsapp. Source: blog.whatsapp