Tired of setting a new WhatApp status every 24 hours? WhatsApp seems to have heard your prayers. As WhatsApp tries to Snapchatify all its apps, seems users are not really happy with this decision which resulted in backlash for WhatsApp. This has prompted the company to revive its text Status option while keeping its image-based replacement at the same time. Facebook has been quick to react to customer feedback a move which as been seen as a blunder for the social app.
In mid-February, WhatsApp removed the feature that let you set an away message, and then gave the Status name to a Snapchat Stories copy cat feature. WhatsApp Android Beta users have reported last week that the text Status reappeared in the next version of WhatsApp in the About section of profiles. The company has also come out say that the text based feature will roll out next week and is coming soon to iPhone. Users can open the About section of their profile to set a text Status, and view other people’s by opening their contact when starting a new chat thread or looking at group chat’s info.
WhatsApp provided this statement:
“We heard from our users that people missed the ability to set a persistent text-only update in their profile, so we’ve integrated this feature into the ‘About’ section in profile settings. Now, the update will appear next to profile names anytime you view contacts, such as when creating a new chat or looking at Group info. At the same time, we’re continuing to build on the new Status feature that gives people fun and engaging ways to share photos, videos and GIFs with their friends and family throughout their day.”
Both the new WhatsApp Status and Messenger Day provide an obvious opportunity for these chat apps to monetize by injecting ads between friends’ slideshows. They could also limit Snapchat’s growth and prepare the products for a future more focused around visual communication.
