WhatsApp reinvents status feature

Improving original “text only” status feature, WhatsApp has reinvented it with end-to-end encryption.

Now you could update your status in the form of a picture, video or GIFs, similar to Facebook’s profile picture. You could control reach of your status which will disappear within 24 hours.

WhatsApp is the world’s largest messaging app with over 1.2 billion monthly active users.

“We are excited to announce that, coinciding with WhatsApp’s 8th birthday on February 24, we are reinventing the status feature. Starting today, we are rolling out an update to status, which allows you to share photos and videos with your friends and contacts on WhatsApp in an easy and secure way. Yes, even your status updates are end-to-end encrypted,” said an official press release on Monday.

“This new and improved status feature will let you keep your friends who use WhatsApp easily updated in a fun and simple way. From all of us at WhatsApp, we hope you enjoy it!” it added.

Months before the feature of messaging was added to WhatsApp, the first lines of code for the app were written in February 2009 with the idea to build an application “that lets your friends and other contacts know what you’re up to.”

The first version of the application looked like this: