WhatsApp Launches New Feature Called Status, A Copy Of Snapchat Stories

(Last Updated On: February 20, 2017)

WhatsApp had just added a new feature called WhatsApp Status which is basically a new tab to share your status updates through decorated photos, videos and GIFs which disappear in 24 hours. One unique thing about it is that it is end to end encrypted like the messaging section. This feature first appeared on Snapchat’s very successful stories feature.

You will now be able to watch updates from friends and reply privately plus create and send your photos to the contacts you have selected. Here is a video to showcase how it works.

WhatApp has over 1.2 billion monthly users who send over 60 billion messages a day, 3.3 billion photos, 760 million videos and 80 million GIFs. The new feature could bring an opportunity for it to make money from its vast users through video ads.

Facebook has never made any money from Whatsapp every since it acquired the app some years back for $22 billion. It scrapped off the 99 cents a year charge WhatApp used to charge its users. Currently, it just makes the vast of its cash from the ads on Facebook newsfeed and recently Instagram ads on stories & newsfeed.