WhatsApp’s adding some new creative options to Status, its Stories-like option for the messaging app, including updated Layout option, more music sharing functionality, photo stickers, and more.
First off, WhatsApp’s added a new collage option within its Layout tools, which enables you to convert up to six images into a combined frame.
Users can place the images in the collage however they like, with the Layout tools making it easier to present the display in variable formats.
WhatsApp’s also adding new music sharing options, including the ability to turn a song into a music sticker, and add it to a separate status post: “like a selfie, for extra pizzazz.”
WhatsApp launched music for Status updates back in March, which enables users to share popular music clips to accompany their Stories-like updates.
It’s also testing music sharing from Spotify, and given the platform’s massive reach, it could become a key driver of music promotion and engagement.
WhatsApp’s also adding Photo Stickers, which, as it sounds, will enable you to turn a photo into a sticker, and add it to your status.
Similar to the same functionality on Instagram, you’ll be able to edit the sticker’s size in the composer, so you can use your photos in new ways within your updates.
Finally, WhatsApp’s also rolling out its own version of the “Add Yours” sticker for Status.
As per WhatsApp:
“Choose a picture and use the Add Yours sticker to invite friends in on the conversation. When they respond to your prompt, they can share it to their status and hear what their community has to say, too.”
Which is again similar to the same on IG Stories, with Status gradually catching up in terms of functionality, ensuring greater expressive capacity within the DM focused app.
WhatsApp’s been gaining popularity, particularly in the U.S., where it now has over 100 million users. The app is also, of course, the most used messaging app in the world, with over 3 billion active users, which gives Meta a huge market advantage in rolling out new tools like this to many users who don’t have access to other social media apps.
As such, expanding WhatsApp’s functionality could also lead to more opportunities, both for Meta and creators/brands in the app.
So while these may seem like fairly simple updates, given their availability in other apps, they are significant in the broader development of WhatsApp as a connective tool.
