WhatsApp is allegedly testing a new feature called Status. It is believed that the feature works in the same way as Snapchat does. It lets a user posts their status using photos and videos, apart from text and doodles. The status update is scheduled to expire in 24 hours.
According to Mashable, there is a new button with a circle and '+' sign, which can be used for generating new update. Users can also enmesh any picture, video or doodle in the update. Such updates are then listed in the Status tab and remain there until they expire. Before posting the status, users can access various editing tools to add details to their status
The feature can be found in the beta version of the app for both Android and iOS. It has not been publicly released yet. However, it can be accessed by users in its beta phase. Users will need to have a rooted Android phone or a jailbroken iPhone. The testers are also required to access a third-party app to enable the Status feature.
The new feature does not provide any option for deleting the status, once it has been posted. There is also no option for setting longer or shorter expiry duration, forcing users to stick with the default duration of 24 hours. However, users can select which of their contacts get to see the status update. Either the user can pick some of their contacts or can choose to exclude some of the contacts. It is not clear if and when the feature will be made public.