WhatsApp is rolling out a new Snapchat-like feature called ‘Status’, a new tab for sharing photos, videos, and GIF’s that will disappear after 24 hours. The new feature is a look alike of Snapchat Stories, however, this one is encrypted.
“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 images 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,” CEO and co-founder of WhatsApp Jan Koum said in a blog post.
The new Status feature will be replacing the eight-year-old basic “text only” status feature in WhatsApp.
The Facebook-owned WhatsApp was earlier rumoured to be working on the same feature. It tested the feature for iOS beta users in November, “Status introduction text updated in WhatsApp beta for iOS 2.17.4+,” a WABetainfo posted on its twitter handle.
However, this time WhatsApp is officially rolling out the feature on all mobile OS platform, including iOS, Android and Windows.
