WhatsApp’s added some new creative options for its Stories… sorry, “Status” option, providing more ways to customize your ephemeral updates.

As you can see in this example, WhatsApp’s changed the presentation style of its font and color options in the Status composer, while it’s also added more font styles, and new options to change the color of your text, as opposed to only the background in your frame.

Whish is much more like Stories, because WhatsApp Status is essentially Stories for WhatsApp, providing another way for users to stay in touch, by showcasing what’s happening to their contacts.

And Status has been popular, with over 450 million people using the function daily at one stage. That had also given Meta new hopes of inserting ads into the WhatsApp experience via full screen mid-rolls in Status, though thus far, it remains hesitant to switch on ads, even in Status, due to concerns about potential user backlash.

Which probably also relates to the way that Status works, in that you view each update individually, as opposed to a dedicated Stories feed on IG. But either way, it seems like a relatively popular option, and it could provide another way to connect with your audience in the app.

And now you have more tools with which to do it, with all users getting access to the latest Status fonts and colors from this week.