WhatsApp stories allow you to share photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours. They are similar to stories on other social media platforms like Instagram and Snapchat. Here’s a guide on everything you need to know about WhatsApp stories and how you can use them.
What are WhatsApp Stories?
WhatsApp stories are photos and videos that you can post to your contacts on WhatsApp. They appear in a slideshow format at the top of your chats list. You can post multiple photos and videos to your story throughout the day, and they will disappear after 24 hours.
When you view someone’s story, the photos and videos auto-advance similar to Instagram and Snapchat stories. You can also react to stories with emojis and reply back. WhatsApp stories are end-to-end encrypted for privacy.
How to View WhatsApp Stories
To view stories from your WhatsApp contacts:
- Open WhatsApp and go to the ‘CHATS’ tab
- Look for circles around your contacts’ profile pictures – this indicates they have posted a story
- Tap on the contact’s profile picture to view their story
- Swipe up to view the next photo/video in their story
You can also view stories from group chats. Look for “New updates” above the group chat name to see available stories.
How to Post WhatsApp Stories
Posting your own WhatsApp story is easy:
- Open the WhatsApp camera from the chat tab
- Take a photo or record a video (up to 30 seconds)
- Tap the circle icon at the bottom to post it as your story
- Customize it with text, emojis, drawings and more
- Tap ‘Send’ to share your story
Your story will be visible to all your WhatsApp contacts. You can post multiple photos and videos to your story throughout the day.
Story Privacy Settings
You can customize who gets to view your WhatsApp story:
- Everyone – Default setting. Your story is visible to all contacts.
- My Contacts Except… – Block specific contacts from seeing your story.
- Only Share With… – Restrict your story to only selected contacts.
To change settings, go to WhatsApp Settings > Account > Privacy > Story. Select the audience you want for your story.
Viewing Stories Anonymously
By default, contacts are notified when you view their WhatsApp story. But you can view stories anonymously:
- From the chat list, long press on a contact’s story profile picture
- Tap the 3 dotted menu icon
- Select ‘View Story Anonymously’
This prevents the contact from knowing you viewed their story. Useful if you want to discreetly view someone’s status update.
Replying to WhatsApp Stories
You can reply back to someone’s status update on WhatsApp stories. While viewing a story:
- Tap the comment field at the bottom
- Type your message
- Hit send
Your reply will be sent as a private message to the contact. Replying to stories allows you to provide feedback and engage with friends who post updates.
Reacting to Stories with Emojis
WhatsApp lets you react to stories with emojis:
- View a contact’s story
- Tap the emojis that appear
- Select the emoji you want to react with
This sends the contact an emoji reaction. It’s a quick way to provide feedback on a story besides sending a written message.
Drawing on WhatsApp Stories
You can get creative with your WhatsApp stories by drawing on photos and videos:
- After taking a photo/video for your story, tap the pen icon
- Select the drawing tool you want – pen, marker, highlighter, eraser
- Draw or write on the story
- Tap ‘Done’ when finished
This adds a personal touch to your story update. You can highlight things, add captions, or just get artistic with drawings.
Adding Text to Stories
Adding text to your WhatsApp stories can help caption or enhance your photos and videos:
- After capturing a photo/video, tap the text icon
- Select a font style and enter your text
- Drag the text box anywhere on the story
- Tap ‘Done’ when finished
This lets you add contextual captions, emoticons, thought bubbles, and more. Customize the look with different fonts, colors and backgrounds.
Using Stickers on Stories
WhatsApp has stickers you can add to spice up your story updates:
- After taking a photo/video, tap the sticker icon
- Browse WhatsApp’s sticker packs
- Tap a sticker to add it
- Move and resize the sticker as needed
Stickers help convey emotions and reactions. There are packs with animated stickers, emojis, text bubbles and more to choose from.
Story Highlights on Your Profile
You can save stories to your profile as ‘Highlights’:
- Go to your WhatsApp profile
- Tap ‘Story Highlight’
- Give your highlight a title
- Tap stories to add them
Highlights appear as circles on your profile for others to view. It lets you permanently showcase memorable story updates even after they expire.
Deleting WhatsApp Stories
You can delete a story you’ve posted at any time:
- Go to your story by swiping right from the camera
- Long press on the story
- Tap the trash icon to delete
This removes the story from your update. Keep in mind contacts may have already viewed the story before you deleted it.
Saving Other’s Stories
Want to save a funny or memorable story from a contact? You can download WhatsApp stories:
- View the contact’s story
- Tap the 3 dotted menu button
- Select ‘Save’
This saves the story to your phone’s gallery so you can view it anytime, even after it expires on WhatsApp.
Best Practices for WhatsApp Stories
Follow these tips to create great WhatsApp stories:
- Be authentic – Share real moments from your day
- Use creative tools – Draw, add text, emojis, stickers
- Engage your audience – React to your contacts’ stories
- Be consistent – Post daily stories to build the habit
- Have fun with it – Don’t overthink, just capture and share!
WhatsApp Status vs Stories
WhatsApp Status is different than Stories:
- Status – Posts disappear after 24 hours. Can only post text, photos and videos.
- Stories – Also expire after 24 hours. But you can customize with drawings, stickers, reactions and more.
Stories are a more interactive, multimedia way of sharing updates compared to text-only Status posts.
Troubleshooting WhatsApp Stories
If you’re having issues with WhatsApp stories, try these troubleshooting tips:
- Update WhatsApp – Make sure you’re on the latest version of the app
- Check connectivity – Stories requires a stable internet connection
- Clear cache – This can fix bugs that may disrupt stories
- Reinstall WhatsApp – As a last resort, remove and reinstall the app
- Contact support – If issues persist, contact WhatsApp for help
With these fixes, you should be able to start posting and viewing stories seamlessly.
WhatsApp Stories Tips and Tricks
Take your WhatsApp stories to the next level with these handy tips:
- Swap lenses – Tap the camera icon to switch between front and back lenses
- @mention friends – Type @ followed by their name to tag them
- View statuses faster – Swipe up and hold to fast forward
- Hide story previews – Disable ‘Show Story Previews’ in Settings
- Save data – Enable ‘Data Saver’ mode to download only when connected to WiFi
Conclusion
WhatsApp stories are a fun way to share photo and video updates with your contacts in a creative, ephemeral format. Use the drawing tools, text, stickers, reactions and more to jazz up your daily stories. Remember to post consistently and engage with your friends’ stories as well. With these WhatsApp story tips, you’ll be a pro status updater in no time!