WhatsApp introduces ‘Voice Status’, ‘Status Reactions’ features

New Delhi: Meta-owned messaging platform WhatsApp on Tuesday announced new features coming to its status, including ‘Voice Status’, ‘Status Reactions’ and much more.

The new features have started rolling out to users globally and will be available to everyone in the coming weeks, the company said in a statement.

The ‘Voice Status’ feature allows users to record and share voice messages for up to 30 seconds on WhatsApp status.

On the other hand, ‘Status Reactions’ allows users to give a quick and easy way to respond to status updates from their friends and close contacts.

“This was the #1 feature users wanted, following the launch of Reactions last year. You can now quickly reply to any status by swiping up and tapping on one of eight emojis. You can of course still reply to a status with text, voice message, stickers and more,” the platform said.

The company also introduced other features including ‘Private Audience Selector’, ‘Status Profile Rings for New Updates’ and ‘Link Previews on Status’.

With the ‘Private Audience Selector’, users can update their privacy settings per status so that they can choose who views their status each time they update it.

Moreover, the most recent audience selection will be used as the default for the users’ next status.

“With the new status profile ring you’ll never miss a status from a loved one. This ring will be present around your contact’s profile picture whenever they share a status update. It will be visible in the chat lists, group participant lists, and contact info,” the platform said.

Now when users post a link on their status, they will see a visual preview of the link content, similar to when users send a message, thanks to the ‘Link Previews on Status’ feature.

“Status is a popular way to share ephemeral updates with friends and close contacts on WhatsApp. They disappear in 24 hours and may include photos, videos, GIFs, text, and more,” the company said.

“Just like your personal chats and calls, your WhatsApp status is protected by end-to-end encryption so you can share privately and securely,” it added.