On Tuesday, WhatsApp announced Voice Status, which allows users to record and share voice messages of up to 30 seconds as status updates. Users have the option to record voice notes by tapping the microphone icon on the status screen. It offers a more personal touch for status updates and is a convenient option for those who prefer not to type or use graphics. WhatsApp last month verified its voice status feature with its Android and iOS beta testers.
WhatsApp Status, the feature that launched when the company acquired Snapchat Stories in 2017, has received a number of updates to make it more attractive and engaging for users. One of the newer additions is the ability to set voice notes as status updates.
The voice status comes months after WhatsApp saw significant traction in voice messages on its platform. Meta’s messaging app said in March that its users send an average of 7 billion voice messages every day.
WhatsApp decides to make users’ life easier with new updates
The arrival of voice notes on WhatsApp status updates reminds us of the Cappuccino app, which allows users to share short, intimate audio stories with friends.
In addition to voice status, WhatsApp’s latest status updates include a “private audience selector” that allows users to easily select a per-status privacy option to choose who can see their status updates. A new audience selection button appears on the status screen – it opens a menu that allows users to control the visibility of their status updates. The latest audience selection is saved and used as the default for the next status update, the messaging app said in a blog post.
Prior to audience selection, users had to manually access WhatsApp’s privacy settings to choose who could see their status.
WhatsApp has also expanded the availability of status reactions which were available to some users a few months ago. Users can quickly respond to any status update by swiping up and tapping one of eight emojis.
Similar to Status Reactions, WhatsApp has expanded the availability of Status Profile Ringtones to all users – having made them available to some users in the recent past. These rings appear around your contact’s profile picture when they share a status update – it works a bit like Instagram. Status profile rings are displayed in chat lists, group participant lists, and contact information.
Users also get link previews to their WhatsApp status updates. This allows them to see a visual preview of their links to Instagram posts or YouTube videos they’ve put on their status.
The updates have started rolling out to users around the world and will be available to everyone in the coming weeks, according to the messaging app.
Last month, WhatsApp released its native macOS client in public beta. The app also rolled out its official proxy support for global users a few weeks ago to help people communicate when their internet connection limits connectivity with WhatsApp.