WhatsApp has its own Snapchat-like disappearing photos and videos

Facebook is really bent on bringing Snapchat’s features to its products. This time, WhatsApp is getting its new “Status” feature, which lets you share photos, GIFs, and videos that expire after 24 hours. If you are either on Snapchat or on the other Facebook-owned Instagram, you know how Status works. You can also decorate the videos and photos you take with the app and either share these with all your contacts or with select groups or individuals. WhatsApp launches the feature in time for the app’s eighth anniversary. It comes to its Android, iOS, and Windows Phone users.

Source: MacRumors

WhatsApp to finally get video calling feature

A long-awaited feature is finally coming to WhatsApp: free video calls. The ability to make one-on-one video calls is coming to the app in the coming days. It can be accessed in the same location you access voice calls, under the phone icon in one-on-one chat windows. For now there won’t be group video calls as WhatsApp wanted to make sure the feature can work on older devices or those who have slower connections.

Source: Mashable

WhatsApp adds two-step authentication to beta app

Whenever an online service adds two-factor authentication, we encourage you to enable it. WhatsApp gets a version of that in its beta app (at least starting version 2.16.341). It isn’t the two-factor authentication you know but it at least offers a form of security. Since WhatsApp uses your phone number to log into your account. Someone can gain access to it if they take your phone. What two-step authentication does is let you create a six-digit PIN you need to enter every time you log into your account alongside your phone number.

Source: Lifehacker

WhatsApp adds GIFs support

Feel like GIFs are the only or easier way you can communicate these days? If you use WhatsApp regularly, that feature is now available to you. You can opt to get GIFs from the likes of Giphy and Tenor or create your own six-second GIFs and convert on iOS Live Photos. As you can tell, the feature is first available on iOS but is said to be coming to Android soon.