WhatsApp has announced a new feature called Status. It’s basically a
version of Snapchat Stories, with the addition of full encryption.
In fact, WhatsApp has had a “status” tab in the app when it first launched in February 2009. However, it was just a text-based feature designed to show a user’s current availability. Today, the update that’s rolling out for Android, iOS and Windows Phone add much more functionality. Like Snapchat Stories, the revamped Status feature in WhatsApp lets users share photos and videos with friends, and those images will disappear after a short period of time. Unlike Snapchat Stories, though, the team at WhatsApp claims any shared content in the Status tab is “end-to-end encrypted”, which may attract more users who are concerned about security.
WhatsApp is making arguably its biggest change since it started operations. The chat app has rolled out a new feature called Status that will turn WhatsApp into a sort of social media app. With the Status feature, which will appear as a separate tab within the app users will be able to share GIF, videos and photos with their friends, somewhat similar to how they do it on Facebook and Instagram. But that is the unique bit about the Status feature. The unique bit is that it has been copied from Snapchat, another communication app, and the Status that WhatsApp users post will vanish after 24 hours, just the way they do on Snapchat.
Read Also: How to change your Chat WhatsApp Wallpaper
WhatsApp was testing the feature for a while in beta version of the app. But now it will be rolled out to all users in a gradual manner. To use Status, WhatsApp users will have to update the app. WhatsApp said that all the content posted within the Status tab will also be end-to-end encrypted.
The announcement regarding the Status update was made by Facebook co-founder Jan Koum. "We are excited to announce that, coinciding with WhatsApp's 8th birthday on February 24, we are reinventing the status feature. Starting today, we are rolling out an update to status, which allows you to share photos and videos with your friends and contacts on WhatsApp in an easy and secure way. Yes, even your status updates are end-to-end encrypted," he wrote.
- Open the app. You will see the new Status tab in it. From there you can post updates, which will then be shared with your friends. You will be able to control who sees your updates. Also, these updates will vanish after 24 hours.
Other
than the fact that Status may make WhatsApp seem more crowded, there is
also the fact that the new feature may also help Facebook, which owns
WhatsApp, bring ads to the chat app. Inline ads, similar to what you see
on Facebook or Instagram, another app owned by Facebook, will be easy
to roll out. They can be deemed updates and can be shown in the Status
timeline. Although, it is worth noting that both WhatsApp and Facebook
in the past had promised to keep WhatsApp add-free.
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In fact, WhatsApp has had a “status” tab in the app when it first launched in February 2009. However, it was just a text-based feature designed to show a user’s current availability. Today, the update that’s rolling out for Android, iOS and Windows Phone add much more functionality. Like Snapchat Stories, the revamped Status feature in WhatsApp lets users share photos and videos with friends, and those images will disappear after a short period of time. Unlike Snapchat Stories, though, the team at WhatsApp claims any shared content in the Status tab is “end-to-end encrypted”, which may attract more users who are concerned about security.
WhatsApp is making arguably its biggest change since it started operations. The chat app has rolled out a new feature called Status that will turn WhatsApp into a sort of social media app. With the Status feature, which will appear as a separate tab within the app users will be able to share GIF, videos and photos with their friends, somewhat similar to how they do it on Facebook and Instagram. But that is the unique bit about the Status feature. The unique bit is that it has been copied from Snapchat, another communication app, and the Status that WhatsApp users post will vanish after 24 hours, just the way they do on Snapchat.
Read Also: How to change your Chat WhatsApp Wallpaper
WhatsApp was testing the feature for a while in beta version of the app. But now it will be rolled out to all users in a gradual manner. To use Status, WhatsApp users will have to update the app. WhatsApp said that all the content posted within the Status tab will also be end-to-end encrypted.
The announcement regarding the Status update was made by Facebook co-founder Jan Koum. "We are excited to announce that, coinciding with WhatsApp's 8th birthday on February 24, we are reinventing the status feature. Starting today, we are rolling out an update to status, which allows you to share photos and videos with your friends and contacts on WhatsApp in an easy and secure way. Yes, even your status updates are end-to-end encrypted," he wrote.
How can you use Status
- Update WhatsApp. If no update is available for your app, wait for a few days. The rollout of the new feature is gradual.- Open the app. You will see the new Status tab in it. From there you can post updates, which will then be shared with your friends. You will be able to control who sees your updates. Also, these updates will vanish after 24 hours.
Will it make WhatsApp complicated?
One of the beauties of WhatsApp is that it
is very simple to use. It is a text messaging app before anything else
and the simplicity and speed of text messaging on WhatsApp has made it
such a big hit. Especially in the early days of WhatsApp people loved
this app because it was a fuss-free, uncluttered messaging app unlike
say something like WeChat or Nimbuzz that had more features but also a
rather complicated user interface.
But of late, WhatsApp is adding
more and more features to the app. It has added video chats as well as
ability to share different kind of content formats like GIF and all. It
has also added the feature that lets users make VoIP calls.
But all those earlier features were still
part of the core WhatsApp functionality, which is one-to-one
communication. The Status feature however gives WhatsApp a different
character. Now it is not just a communication app but also a social
media and broadcast app, similar to Twitter, Snapchat or Facebook.
Although Koum doesn't see it that ways.
"Just like eight years ago when we first started WhatsApp, this new and
improved status feature will let you keep your friends who use WhatsApp
easily updated in a fun and simple way," he writes.
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