WhatsApp Gets Snapchat Stories-Like Status Feature Facebook really seems to like Snapchat Stories.
By tbreak
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
You're reading Entrepreneur Middle East, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.
Facebook really seems to like Snapchat Stories. After introducing the feature on Instagram earlier, called Instagram Stories, the company has now brought it to WhatsApp, as a new revamped version of the Status feature.
The feature, which allows people post a string of photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours, comes as a new update to the popular instant messaging app. Previously, the Status feature let you display only simple things like "at school" or "at the movies" or some similar snippet you'd written yourself. With the new version however, you can share photos, videos, and GIFs and punch them up with emojis, text and drawings. You'll be able to share them with all your contacts. WhatsApp also said the new feature is encrypted end-to-end.
Snapchat, a platform that is growing to be the most popular social media platform, has nearly 70% of all the 18-24 year-olds in the US use the app, according to ComScore. This is probably something Facebook noticed, which is why the company wants the similar feature. Instagram stories have been popular too, as the feature has 150 million daily users, and last month Instagram said Stories would start showing ads. Meanwhile, Facebook is rumored to be testing Facebook Stories in the mobile app in Ireland. WhatsApp CEO Jan Koum said in a blog post that the new version of Status is meant to coincide with the app's eighth birthday, on February 24. Facebook bought the app in 2014 for US$19 billion.
This article was originally published on tbreak and has been reposted on Entrepreneur Middle East based on a mutual agreement between the websites.
Related: The Low-Down On Using Instagram Stories For Your Business
