Update to WhatsApp status allows users to share pictures and video

WhatsApp is turning 8-years old on February 24th. Let's hope they save us some cake! But seriously, when the app was first developed, it was designed to let you put a quick check mark on some pre-written status options. For example, you could be at the gym or the movies, or in class and have a checkmark placed at your current location. There even was an option to check if the battery on your phone was dying. Messaging was added to WhatsApp in 2009, but the status function was still text only. That is, until today.

Starting today, WhatsApp users are receiving an update that allows them to use their camera to share pictures and videos with their friends and contacts. It is end-to-end encrypted, which means that video status updates are secure. The pictures and videos will disappear after a certain period of time.

Today, 50 billion messages are sent each day using WhatsApp, which includes 3.3 billion photos, 760 million videos, and 80 million GIFs. Over the last year, the number of photos sent daily has doubled while the number of videos have tripled.


source: WhatsApp