Burak Mete ErdoğanWhatsapp is testing this new feature, which will change the way users are going to look at a status update in its app. With vistas on improving user experience and keeping it light with changing social media trends, the messaging giant rolls out full-sized preview status updates in the update tab, which looks similar to the formats of previews witnessed earlier on Facebook.
A Seamless Viewing Experience
Now, the new feature is available for testing to small groups of users in the beta program, offering users a more seamless viewing experience. Instead of tapping through multiple statuses, full-size previews are now directly in the Updates tab, fundamentally changing how users used to consume content and making it fast and easy to get updated about friends and family.
Inspired by Facebook.
It really comes as no surprise that what WhatsApp is doing here is taking cues from its sister platforms, Facebook and Instagram—both owned by Meta. After all, full-size previews of stories have been a thing on Facebook for a while now, and the company is supposedly testing the same for Instagram as well. In aligning user experiences across platforms, Meta seems to try to get users to engage with content more often and more profoundly without that extra step of opening each status.
User Reactions and Speculations
The early reactions from the beta testers, of course, were varied; some praised the feature for bringing convenience, while others missed the conventional way of dealing with statuses. The conjecture is thus rife about whether this feature will see its way to regular users and how this might eventually dictate the way people use WhatsApp.
Many users joked that Meta wants you to see everything in the status update, without opening them, thus giving them a more passive way to scroll through. That may alter how people create and consume status updates—and maybe rise to be more mindful of what they share.
WhatsApp tests new full-size status previews in updates tab pic.twitter.com/907oanlSjm
— AndroidXXL (@androidxxlcom) July 14, 2024
While WhatsApp continues to test the feature and ultimately fine-tune it, how this is going to affect behavior and involvement remains open. For now, the beta group has gotten a first look at what could prove to be one of the biggest updates to hit the app.
Whether you are a full-size preview fanatic or rather do things the old way, it’s pretty clear WhatsApp is looking at the growth of its app alongside the increasing demands of its users. Further updates to this feature should be scoped out as it continues testing, perhaps sooner than later, once it starts rolling out.
Source: AppDate
