Starting today, popular calling and messaging service WhatsApp is rolling out some new text-based status features for its iOS app and the web.
When first launched, the status feature was simple text only. Earlier this year, WhatsApp introduced the ability to share photos and videos. With the update today, users can now create text-based statuses that can include a choice of font, background color, and even links.
Today, WhatsApp announced a fun, new way for the 250 million monthly iOS and Android users of WhatsApp Status to express themselves. The new feature makes it easy to share creative text-based status updates. Now you never have to worry about getting the word out to all your family and friends. Whether you’re looking for vacation recommendations or notifying a group about the address for a party, the text-based status feature allows you to update your contacts in a fun and personal way. To customize text statuses, users can choose a specific font and background color, or include links.
WhatsApp also has some tips for using its status feature:
• Control who can see your Status update: In WhatsApp’s privacy settings, you have the option to choose the people who will receive your update. You can select from the following three options: “my contacts,” “contacts except…” and “only share with…”
• See who has viewed your Status update: Tap the eye icon at the bottom of any Status update to view a list of contacts who have seen your update.
• Reply to an update: When you view someone’s Status update, there is a reply button, so you can comment on any photo, video, or GIF. Once you tap reply, your message will be sent in a WhatsApp chat with a thumbnail of the Status update.
While it looks like you can create and view these new types of statuses on iOS and Android, for the web they seem to be view only for now. This past summer, WhatsApp announced that it reached 1 billion daily active users, with 55 billion messages sent per day.
WhatsApp Messenger is a free download from the App Store.
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