Meta has announced a major update to the WhatsApp Status feature, bringing four new tools that aim to make the platform more visual, interactive, and socially engaging—much like Instagram Stories. The rollout begins in June 2025 and will gradually reach Android and iOS users worldwide.
According to Meta’s official newsroom, the goal of the update is to “expand expressive capabilities” while maintaining WhatsApp’s hallmark privacy protections. All new status features remain end-to-end encrypted and visible only to a user’s selected contacts.
Layouts: Create Photo Collages
One of the headline features is Layouts, which allows users to build photo collages with up to six images. Users can arrange photos, apply built-in layout templates, and edit visuals directly within WhatsApp. This mirrors Instagram’s popular collage tools and brings a more curated feel to daily status updates.
Add Music to Your Status
The new More with Music feature lets users add background tracks to their statuses. Songs can be posted either as standalone musical updates or as stickers overlaid on photos and videos, adding an emotional tone or context to shared content.
Photo Stickers: Personalize Your Content
Users can now turn any photo into a custom sticker. The feature includes tools to crop, reshape, and edit images before adding them to a status post—introducing a creative layer previously unavailable in WhatsApp.
Add Yours: Interactive Story Chains
Borrowed from Instagram, the Add Yours prompt lets users share a question, photo, or idea and invite others to respond with their own statuses. These chains encourage viral participation and reflect trends in social storytelling that are already familiar across Meta’s platforms.
All features are rolling out gradually, starting with selected users and expanding globally in the weeks ahead. Meta emphasizes that while WhatsApp is evolving, it remains committed to privacy-first principles and secure messaging.
