14 DAY TRIAL // Like other Internet services, WhatsApp is also recording an increased usage these days, as the world stays home due to the coronavirus outbreak.
And with so many people using WhatsApp at the same time, it makes sense for the service to struggle every now and then, with outages almost something that can’t be avoided.
But according to parent company Facebook, WhatsApp has already doubled its server capacity in an attempt to prevent any downtime that could be recorded due to the high usage.
And today, it seems additional limitations have been implemented, as WhatsApp no longer allowed videos with a duration that exceeds 15 seconds to be published on WhatsApp Status. Previously, videos could have a maximum of 30 seconds to be used as a Status.
Rolling out worldwide?
At this point, this new restriction is only available in India, but it’s already believed a similar decision is likely to be announced elsewhere as well, especially in Europe, where a growing number of countries are in lockdown due to the new coronavirus.
The news was shared by WABetaInfo, who keeps an eye on WhatsApp updates and has a good scoop of new features coming to the service.
“You can no longer send videos to WhatsApp Status if they are longer than 16 seconds: only videos having a duration of 15 seconds will be allowed. This is happening in India and it's probably an initiative to reduce the traffic on the server infrastructures,” the blog announced.
There’s also a chance the restriction could be put in place only in those countries where the WhatsApp Status usage is higher, thus having an impact on local Internet speeds. For now, no official announcement has been made, so take everything for granted until Facebook or WhatsApp confirms the limitations.