14 DAY TRIAL // WhatsApp has just announced that it launched a new feature for its users, a tool that the company had started testing in November. The new Status feature will start rolling out to WhatsApp users for Android and iOS.
WhatsApp’s creators stated that the idea for the app’s creation was quite different than the WhatsApp we know today. Even before the messaging feature was added to the app, WhatsApp had a status section where users could specify what they were doing.
“The original idea behind the project was to build an application that lets your friends and other contacts know what you’re up to,” CEO Jan Koum stated.
After messaging was added in 2009, WhatsApp kept the basic “text only” status inside the app, and it seems that the feature has received a revamp. WhatsApp announced that it started rolling out the new Status feature, eight years after the app was officially launched.
WhatsApp’s Status comes with end-to-end encryption
The Status feature would allow users to share pictures and videos with friends and contacts on WhatsApp. It’s very similar to Snapchat’s Stories, with the exception that WhatsApp has extended end-to-end encryption to the Status feature as well.
WhatsApp users can watch updates from friends and reply privately, shoot and add captions to images sent to friends, or the entire list of contacts if they wish. Potentially, the Status section could be open to advertising opportunities for WhatsApp, just like on Snapchat and Instagram.
WhatsApp currently has 1.2 billion monthly users who send 60 billion messages per day, including 3.3 billion pictures, 760 million videos, and 80 million GIFs. The Status feature would increase these numbers and make it more attractive for users to interact in WhatsApp and share their mood.
As opposed to other apps, WhatsApp is focused on end-to-end encryption, which it managed to bring in all sections and features. Just recently, the app introduced two-step verification as an optional feature.
