WhatsApp rolled out a Snapchat-story like status message feature earlier this week and, with this, almost all the entities owned by Facebook have incorporated features inspired by the rival image messaging and multimedia mobile application. Here is a quick guide on how to use WhatsApp status.
Once your app is updated to the latest version, you will see a Status tab on the top bar. Just as in Snapchat, you'll first see your own updates in the bar. Below that, you can see your friends' new updates and viewed updates.
You can add a status update by clicking the new update button on the bottom right corner which opens the camera. At the bottom, you will find all your recent photos, videos and GIFs in a strip as well. So you can either click a photo or hold for video or add an existing item.
Once added, you can tap on the status tab and see how many people have viewed your status, just as in Instagram. There are options to delete or forward the status as well.
Additionally, when you are viewing your friends' updates you can swipe up and reply to them as well. The functionality and execution are similar to Instagram.
WhatsApp has introduced privacy settings as well to control who can see your status. If you click on the three-dot menu on the top right, you'll see an option called Status Privacy. Under this menu you can choose all, 'my contacts except', or 'only share with' options to control status sharing.
Do bear in mind that all these updates will last for only 24 hours and disappear after that.
Facebook was once rumored to have tried to acquire Snapchat but the deal didn't go through. It almost looks like that the social-networking giant is trying to kill the fast growing startup by implementing similar functionalities in the apps it owns. First, it introduced Instagram stories which has grown to 100 million daily users in just two months.
Now, by introducing WhatsApp status, Facebook wants you to tell more stories to almost all of your contacts. The messaging app has over a billion users worldwide and so, right away, this new feature will have a larger audience than Snapchat for every post.