WhatsApp today introduced Snapchat like status messages where people can post photos or videos. Earlier people could only keep a text message of up to 140 characters as a status message.
This change will be rolled out to the users in the coming updates. The update was announced on the WhatsApp blog.
"After we added messaging in the summer of 2009, we kept the basic "text only" status functionality in WhatsApp. Every year, when Brian and I would plan projects to work on, we always talked about improving and evolving this original "text only" status feature," CEO Jan Koum said.
"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," he added.
The Facebook-owned messaging company also noted that all the status messages would have the end-to-end encryption as well. The updates will disappear in 24 hours just like Snapchat. People would be able to reply to the messages as well.