What you need to know
- Meta detailed a new cross-posting feature arriving for WhatsApp via its addition to the Account Center.
- Users can decide to post their WhatsApp Status to Instagram or Facebook Stories (or both) when linked to the Account Center.
- Meta adds that users will retain their privacy and security through E2EE for messages and calls when linked.
- Late last year, WhatsApp picked up better cross-platform support and a username option for new contacts.
Meta is detailing a new feature for its messaging service, WhatsApp, that better connects it with the rest of its ecosystem.
As highlighted in a blog post, Meta states it has started rolling out an Account Center option for WhatsApp accounts. Your WhatsApp profile is "off by default," meaning users will have the choice of adding it if they'd like. The major point of this addition is that users — once added to Account Center — can "reshare" updates from WhatsApp Status to their Instagram and Facebook Stories.
Meta states its delivering this cross-posting option in the menu when creating a WhatsApp Status. Users don't have to cross-post to both platforms if they don't want to. The sub-menu will feature small toggleable options for Instagram and Facebook for quick decisions when updating your Status.
To help alleviate our privacy concerns, Meta states that your calls and messages will remain end-to-end encrypted if added to the Account Center.
Additionally, WhatsApp's availability in Meta's Account Center is beginning to hit users globally. It will take some time to appear for everywhere, but once it does, users will find the option in the app's settings.
As the feature rolls out, Meta teased additional features that users can expect down the road, like AI Stickers and a centralized hub for your Imagine Me products. Ther are also plans to manage all of your avatars without having to bounce between places in the app.
Meta's Imagine Me launched in mid-July last year, leveraging the company's generative AI software to turn you into something entirely different. Users can kickstart the AI by saying "Imagine me..." followed by whatever you'd like. You can turn yourself into a tennis player, an astronaut, or maybe a DJ. When messaging Meta AI, the announcement stated that users can type "change" to make any alterations they see fit.
In other news, WhatsApp picked up a huge update late last year, which brought in usernames. The idea of a username is meant to replace phone numbers when saving new contacts. More importantly, the update also let users add and manage contacts through WhatsApp on the Web and the Windows platform in cojunction with their Android phone/tablet.
