Whenever you needed to send messages to your friends on WhatsApp, all you were able to do was to either type and send it, or send a voice message. So far, WhatsApp has come with support for audio and text-based communications in its chats, and now, it is adding support for videos as well.
That’s right, WhatsApp will now let users record and share short personal videos directly in chats – whether it be personal or group chats. Support for direct video messages have already begun rolling out, its parent company noted, which means that you can expect to get your hands on this feature in the coming weeks. The duration of a video message is 60 seconds.
“Video messages are a real-time way to respond to chats with whatever you want to say and show in 60 seconds,” Meta wrote in a blog post. “We think these will be a fun way to share moments with all the emotion that comes from video, whether it’s wishing someone a happy birthday, laughing at a joke, or bringing good news.”
“New for WhatsApp – we’re adding the ability to instantly record and share a video message in your WhatsApp chats. It’s as easy as sending a quick voice message,” Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced in his Instagram Channel. The arrival of this feature comes on the heels of Meta announcing its Q2 2023 earnings, wherein the social media company had its best quarter since 2021, and its revenue rose by 11% to reach $32 billion.
The introduction of instant video messages is an interesting one – it allows users to express themselves more dynamically than they could have expressed in voice chats. It also breaks the monotony of text-based direct chats, allowing users to add a touch of emotion and authenticity to their conversations. Furthermore, the arrival of video messages to WhatsApp’s chats also opens up creative avenues for users to share experiences and showcase their creativity through short videos. WhatsApp’s commitment to end-to-end encryption ensures that messages remain private between the sender and the recipient, Meta noted.
Meta, which is also the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, says that sending a video message is just as easy as sending a voice message – all users have to do to is to switch to video mode and hold to record the video. To record the video hands-free, they can swipe up to lock, Meta added. Once the video message is received on the other end, the receiver needs to tap on the video to start the sound, since the video messages will play automatically on mute.
