How to use WhatsApp Status, the messaging app’s ‘stories’ feature for sharing ephemeral content

• WhatsApp Status is similar to Snapchat or Instagram Stories; you can post updates with photos, video, and text in the app’s Status tab.
• To share an update, tap “My Status” in the Status tab and use the camera control and photo gallery.
• You can mute a contact to hide their updates as well as hide your updates from specific users.
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If you like the way Snapchat or Instagram Stories lets you post photos, videos, and text messages in a sort of fancy slideshow to share with your friends and family, you can do essentially the same thing in WhatsApp as well. It’s called WhatsApp Status, where you can share content and see what’s new from your contacts. Here’s what you need to know to use WhatsApp Status.

If you’ve used a Stories-style feature in a social media app like Snapchat, Instagram, or Facebook, you’ll probably feel right at home with WhatsApp Status. Anything you add to your status expires after 24 hours. That means anything you post is ephemeral – and thanks to WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption, it’s secure as well.

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How to view and reply to a WhatsApp Status

WhatsApp reserves a dedicated tab for statuses. To see any current status posts from your contacts, go to the Status tab. On iPhone, tap the Status tab at the bottom of the screen. If you have Android, tap Status at the top.

You should see your own status, and below that any posts from your friends. To see a status, tap the entry. If there are multiple status updates, they’ll play one after the other, and then you’ll see updates from the next contact in your list.

You have a few controls once you’ve tapped on a status:

• To pause an update: tap and hold the screen.
• To advance to the next update: tap the right side of the screen.
• To go back to the previous update: tap the left side of the screen.
• To reply to a status: swipe up. You can type a message, send a sticker, or send photos and videos using the icons in line with the text field.

How to create and share your own WhatsApp status

You can create your own WhatsApp Status with photos, video and text. To get started, go to the Status tab. On iPhone, tap the Status tab at the bottom of the screen. If you have Android, tap Status at the top.

Near the top of the Status screen, tap My Status. This opens the camera view, where you can take photos, record video, and select photos from your photo gallery. To take a picture, tap the shutter release, but hold the shutter release to record video. Want to zoom in? Drag your finger up the screen while recording, dragging down zooms back out again.

Tap on the tools at the top of the screen to edit and customize your status. You can rotate, add stickers, type text over the image or add a caption to the bottom of the page.

When you’re ready to share your status, tap the Send button at the bottom right.

To add to your status, simply return to the Status tab and tap either the Camera or Pencil. On iPhone, these buttons are inside the My Status section at the top of the page. On Android, you’ll find the buttons at the bottom right of the screen. Anything you share will be appended to the previous status you posted.

How to delete your WhatsApp status

If you don’t like something you’ve posted or need to retract it for some reason, it’s easy to delete a status. You can selectively delete just the statuses you don’t like, so you don’t have to delete everything at once.

On iPhone, it’s very straightforward: On the Status tab, tap My Status to see a list of each status entry. Swipe a status to the left to see the Delete button, and then tap Delete.

On Android, start on the Status tab and then tap the three dots to the right of My Status. When you see the list of status posts, tap the three dots to the right of the entry you want to delete and then tap Delete in the dropdown menu.

How to mute someone’s WhatsApp status

If you would prefer not to see a particular contact’s status, WhatsApp gives you the ability to mute it.

To mute a contact, start on the Status tab and, in the Recent updates section, find the contact you want to mute. On iPhone, swipe the contact to the left and tap Mute. On Android, tap and hold the contact until you see the Mute status pop up, and tap Mute.

After you mute a contact, the contact will be hidden in a new Muted updates section. To unmute the contact, follow the same process you used to mute them and choose to Unmute.

How to hide your WhatsApp status from certain people

Do you have contacts you’d rather hide your status updates from? WhatsApp lets you be selective about whom you share with.

On iPhone, tap Privacy from the top left of the Status tab. On Android, start on the Status tab, tap the three-dot menu at the top right, and choose Status privacy in the dropdown menu.

Now choose whom you want to share your updates with. You have three options.

• My contacts: This is the default setting – everyone you know will see your updates.
• My contacts except: Choose this option if you share with almost everyone, but there are a few people you want to exclude.
• Only share with: This is the option to choose if you have a relatively short list of people whom you want to see your updates.

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