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.
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.
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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