You can currently share WhatsApp Status only with other users on the messaging app. It doesn’t allow you to send across the Status to any other platform, but that changes with the latest WhatsApp beta update. The app has now gained the ability to share WhatsApp Status directly to your Facebook Story and other apps.
Facebook is said to be integrating its messaging apps under a single umbrella, however, before that it’s adding the ability to cross-share new Stories to all of its platforms. We’ve already seen the option to share Instagram Stories over to Facebook and well, the same functionality has now been added to WhatsApp.
As you can see in the screenshot attached below, you’ll now find a dedicated ‘Share to Facebook Story’ button available under the ‘My Status’ option. You could tap the same when you want to share a status update to Facebook as well. You’ll see a preview of the Facebook Story, along with the option to choose who can see it, before you share it with others.
Note: If you’re new to either Facebook or WhatsApp, well, the Stories and Status update format are the same and was pioneered by Snapchat. Status is synonymous to Stories.
Since WhatsApp parent Facebook is involved in the mix, I know, you must be concerned about your privacy with this new sharing feature. The messaging giant says that you will not need to connect the Facebook account to WhatsApp to make this work (which surely sounds reassuring) and that it’s using the standard Android or iOS data sharing APIs.
This also means that you can now share WhatsApp Status on other apps including Gmail, Instagram, Twitter, SMS, and more. You simply need to tap the ‘share’ icon next to your Status update and see the standard sharing pane pop-up. Choose the app you’ll want to send your update across to and voila, you’re done.
Though WhatsApp states that it’s available in the latest beta update on its FAQ page for this feature, well, it isn’t live on my beta build (#2.19.184) as of now. I’ve now checked numerous times since last night, but in vain. Is ‘Share to Facebook Story’ feature live for you? Let us know in the comments below.
