Despite being the world’s most popular instant messaging app, WhatsApp has been observed lagging behind in adopting features introduced by rival platforms. Telegram’s Channels for broadcasting information is a recent example of a feature that WhatsApp implemented belatedly. However, as a subsidiary of Meta, WhatsApp has the potential to leverage integrations facilitated by its parent company.
Instagram, another app under the Meta umbrella, has historically been quicker to introduce features compared to WhatsApp. For instance, Instagram users were early adopters of Snapchat-style ephemeral story updates in 2016, while WhatsApp incorporated a similar feature a year later in 2017. Although both apps fall under the broad category of social media tools, their purposes differ. Instagram is commonly used for connecting with friends, acquaintances, and following influencers based on shared interests. WhatsApp, on the other hand, is a more personal app reserved for contacts with whom the user has shared their phone number.
Given this distinction in use cases, it might be surprising that Meta is reportedly working on adding support for sharing WhatsApp stories directly to Instagram. Users testing the latest beta version of the WhatsApp Android app discovered a new option that enables linking their Instagram account with WhatsApp. This feature, still in development, is accessed through Settings → Privacy → Status → Share my status updates. It allows users to mirror their WhatsApp status updates as ephemeral Stories on their Instagram account. While the integration is yet to be finalized, it could potentially distinguish WhatsApp from other messaging apps and save users the effort of manually reposting updates across multiple platforms.
Despite the potential advantages of this integration, users who maintain clear distinctions between their WhatsApp contacts and Instagram followers may find this feature less useful. It is not clear yet, but it seems WhatsApp and Instagram will retain separate controls to limit the audience for status updates and stories, respectively.
An additional consideration is the discrepancy in story creation tools between WhatsApp and Instagram. Instagram offers more advanced features such as dynamic stickers for weather, time, and location, which are not currently available on WhatsApp. This could result in mirrored updates appearing less vibrant on Instagram. It remains to be seen whether future updates to WhatsApp will address this gap in features. As Meta works on integrating its various platforms, users can expect more cross-functionality and seamless sharing options across WhatsApp, Instagram, and potentially other Meta-owned applications.
