Yes, WhatsApp has its own built-in status feature that allows users to share text, photos, videos, and GIFs that disappear after 24 hours. The WhatsApp status feature works similarly to stories on other platforms like Instagram or Snapchat.
What is the WhatsApp Status Feature?
The WhatsApp status feature allows users to share temporary updates that disappear after 24 hours. You can post photos, videos, GIFs, or text statuses to your WhatsApp status. These statuses are visible to all of your WhatsApp contacts by default, similar to how Instagram or Snapchat stories work. You can customize who can view your WhatsApp status in your privacy settings.
When you post a status on WhatsApp, it will be visible at the top of your contacts’ chat lists with your profile photo and name. Your contacts can view and respond to your status updates by tapping on your profile picture. They can reply with a text or multimedia status of their own. WhatsApp statuses also allow you to see who has viewed them, just like other social media stories.
The WhatsApp status feature was introduced in early 2017 as a way for users to share temporary updates through the messaging app. It was likely inspired by the popularity of stories on apps like Instagram and Snapchat. Since its launch, WhatsApp status has become a widely used way for over 2 billion WhatsApp users worldwide to share daily moments and updates.
Types of Content You Can Share as a WhatsApp Status
You can post the following types of content to your WhatsApp status:
- Photos – Share pictures and images from your phone’s gallery.
- Videos – Record and share videos up to 30 seconds long.
- GIFs – Search for and share animated GIFs.
- Text – Type out a text update or caption for your status.
You can capture photos and videos directly through the WhatsApp camera or use existing media from your phone’s gallery. WhatsApp also has an extensive GIF library you can browse when creating a new status update.
How to Post a WhatsApp Status
Posting a status update on WhatsApp is easy and works similarly to other social media stories. Here are the steps:
- Open WhatsApp and tap on your profile picture in the top left corner.
- Tap “Status” at the top of your profile page.
- Tap the camera icon to capture a new photo or video for your status. You can also select a photo/video from your camera roll.
- Edit the media with text, emojis, drawings, etc. WhatsApp has editing tools similar to Instagram or Snapchat stories.
- Tap “Send” to post the status update. You can also choose to send it to selected contacts only.
Your status will now be visible to your contacts for 24 hours. You will see views and replies to your WhatsApp status below the status in your profile. You can delete statuses at any time before they disappear.
Viewing WhatsApp Statuses
To view statuses from your WhatsApp contacts:
- Open WhatsApp and go to the CHATS tab.
- At the top, you will see your contacts who have posted new statuses. Tap on any contact profile picture to view their status.
- Swipe up to view the next status update from your contacts posted in the last 24 hours.
- You can reply to a status directly with text, emoji, or your own status update.
The number of views on each status will show up after you’ve seen it. You can disable read receipts in your WhatsApp settings if you don’t want contacts to know when you’ve viewed their status.
Status Privacy Settings
By default, your WhatsApp status updates are visible to all of your contacts. However, you can customize who can view your status in your privacy settings:
- My Contacts – Your status will only be visible to your phone contacts who also have your number saved.
- My Contacts Except… – Block specific contacts from seeing your status updates.
- Only Share With… – Choose to show your status to only selected WhatsApp contacts.
You can change these settings by going to WhatsApp > Settings > Account > Privacy > Status. Configure status privacy based on your preferences.
Status Updates vs. Chats
While WhatsApp status shares some similarities with other social media stories, there are some key differences from posting in your WhatsApp chats:
- Temporary sharing – Statuses disappear after 24 hours while chats remain saved in your inbox.
- Broadcast sharing – Status updates are broadcasted to all contacts while chats are sent to specific people.
- Casual updates – Statuses are for ephemeral sharing while chats are more personal conversations.
In general, statuses are used for casual everyday updates to indirectly let your contacts know what you’re up to. Chats are for direct conversations and sharing information that requires a response.
WhatsApp Business Profile Statuses
WhatsApp recently introduced the ability for WhatsApp Business profiles to post statuses. Business statuses work similarly to personal statuses with a few key differences:
- Only Business accounts can post. Regular WhatsApp users will not see business statuses.
- Businesses can post product catalogs, announcements, alerts, etc.
- Users can directly message a business after viewing its status.
Business statuses are an easy way for companies to broadcast updates, promotions, and other content to customers right within WhatsApp.
Tips for Using WhatsApp Status
Here are some tips to use WhatsApp Status most effectively:
- Keep it casual – Don’t overthink statuses. Share your everyday moments and quick updates.
- Don’t spam – Post 1-2 times per day max so your contacts don’t get annoyed.
- Use relevant media – Photos and videos will be more engaging than plain text.
- Try effects/tools – Add stickers, drawings, and text on photos for a more unique status.
- Check privacy – Review your status audience in your privacy settings.
- Clear old statuses – Delete your statuses after a few hours once your contacts have viewed them.
WhatsApp Status FAQs
How long do WhatsApp statuses last?
Each WhatsApp status lasts for 24 hours before disappearing automatically. You can also delete statuses manually at any time.
Can you save someone’s WhatsApp status?
Due to privacy reasons, you cannot directly save or download someone else’s WhatsApp status. However, you can take a screenshot which will save their status photo/video to your phone’s gallery.
How do I hide my viewed WhatsApp statuses from contacts?
Go to WhatsApp Settings > Account > Privacy and disable “Read Receipts” to stop showing contacts when you’ve viewed their status update.
Can I post multiple photos/videos to one WhatsApp status?
Yes, when creating a new status in WhatsApp, you can select up to 10 photos/videos to share as one status update that contacts can swipe through.
Why can’t some contacts see my WhatsApp status updates?
If your status privacy settings are limited to “My Contacts” or “My Contacts Except…” then contacts who don’t have your number saved won’t be able to view your status updates.
Is there a limit to how many statuses I can post on WhatsApp?
There is no definitive limit to how many status updates you can post. However, you are limited to sharing photos and videos up to 16MB in size for each status.
Conclusion
The WhatsApp status feature allows users to easily share temporary photo, video, text, and GIF updates. It provides a simple way to let your WhatsApp contacts know what you’re up to throughout the day. With privacy settings and view receipts, you can control how and when people see your personal status updates.
Overall, WhatsApp status continues to be a popular tool for daily broadcasting to contacts in a casual way. It offers an alternative to posting personal moments as formal chat messages or permanent posts on other social media networks.