WhatsApp Now Has a Function That’s (Almost) Identical to Snapchat Stories

The Facebook-owned WhatsApp has just cloned Snapchat’s stories format, to replace its old text-based status messages.

WhatsApp has just become the fourth Facebook product to copy Snapchat. The feature has been rolled out in an update as a gift to users on its eighth birthday.

“When WhatsApp launched nearly 8 years ago (on Feb. 24th), it started as an app for sharing status updates, where people could type a short line of text to let their friends know what they were up to,” the company shared in a blog post.

“When we noticed people were using the feature to communicate in real time, we redesigned WhatsApp as a messaging app.”

The Verge reports Facebook’s decision to add stories to WhatsApp represents a strategic effort to dull Snapchat’s growth in markets, particularly with younger demographics.

Instagram was the first to undergo the change, then Facebook Messenger and Facebook (the app itself) shortly followed suit. Within just four months of launching Instagram stories, roughly 150 million people were using it on an every day basis.

That’s pretty much the same amount of users as Snapchat.

What we imagine Snapchat’s reaction is through all of this:

Photo: Giphy and Twitter (@InnerKermit)