Put your hands up if you've ever been inspired by a WhatsApp status? Yep...me neither.
The deluge of generic ‘Hey there, I am using WhatsApp' flooding the app, make you cringe and die a little inside, before nodding off to sleep. Now WhatsApp is moving away from this age-old snore candy and things are all set to change. Yesterday the app debuted a brand new status feature, boasting pictures, videos and GIFS. This is all part and parcel of swanky WhatsApp update hitting your lovely phones (and any other European users') this week. As for the rest of the world, WhatsApp statedit will be coming in the next few weeks. (Very) Similarly to Snapchat Stories, these updates will last for a mere 24 hours. Just so you can keep reminding the world of how great you are, on yet another platform….
Sorry if we can’t contain our excitement - but now, more than ever, it seems like all our social platforms are all merging into one. Is there really any POD this time around? Well, for starters, all WhatsApp status updates are allegedly encrypted by default, as per WhatsApp conversations (whichtheoretically means people can’t snoop on your private conversations). Security - tick (kind of). WhatsApp product manager Randall Sarafa believes you'd be hard pressed to find a similar offering elsewhere, ‘I don’t think the format exists in just one app at this point. This is a model that others have contributed to and has been widely adopted, and we adopted it ourselves. It’s groundwork for the things we want people to be able to share.' Unlike Snapchat WhatsApp doesn’t plan on introducing ads into their new status feature, so this is something to get pumped about, at least.
All your contacts will automatically be able to view your status updates but with a few tweaks you can pick and choose who. You can even send out updates en masse with WhatApp’s 'Broadcast' feature. The newly-introduced 'Status' tab will contain ‘Recent Updates’ displaying your friends latest stories, alongside the option to see who has viewed your own. There’s even a 'Muted' section which will show you updates from users you’ve muted (any stalking of your ex happens right here). Friends' comments on your status will be sent as instant messages. Do all of these features ring a bell? Yeah me too.
It’s seems pretty crazy to think that once upon a time, status updates were WhatApp’s only function. Since then WhatsApp has grown into a fully fledged messaging app and one of the most popular about. While all of this is nothing too dissimilar from what we’ve seen from its competitors, WhatApp’s foray into the world of social media should not be overlooked. With 1.2 billion monthly users, sending 60 billion messages each day, if this feature is a hit, WhatsApp could truly steal its crown. Considering Instagram stories have only just over 150 million users, it's all up for grabs. WhatsApp's status feature could seriously shake up things in the mix...
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.