Today, WhatsApp announces that the Status feature is getting a bunch of new features. The updates that enable all of these new features are already rolling out to users globally and should be rolling out to everyone using WhatsApp “in the coming weeks.”
So what exactly is new, you ask? First of all, you can now record and share voice messages as status messages. These can last up to 30 seconds. After that, you can update your privacy settings by status, so you can choose who can see (or hear) your status each time you update it. As you might expect, your most recent audience selection is saved and then used as the default for the next state.
Status reactions allow you to respond to status updates, and has apparently been the number one most requested feature for WhatsApp since the launch of chat reactions last year. You can quickly respond to any status by swiping up and tapping one of eight emojis. And of course you can still reply with a text message, voice message or even stickers.
A new status profile ring will appear around your contact’s profile picture whenever they share a status update, and will be visible in the chat list, group participant lists, and contact information section.
Finally, statuses now have link previews enabled, just like chats. So when you post a link on your status, the preview will automatically appear and improve the look of your status, as well as give your contacts an idea of what the link is about before they hit it.
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