WhatsApp this week: A big change to status videos, more Covid-19 helplines

WhatsApp, the world’s largest instant messaging platform, is seeing a massive surge in traction as millions of people around the world are staying indoors due to the Covid-19 lockdown. The surge is massive in markets like Europe. WhatsApp’s siblings Instagram and Facebook has also seen a jump in usage.

Change to status videos

With millions of people relying on digital tools to connect with their friends and families, telecommunication networks are under immense pressure. To ensure the critical services run smoothly on the web, telecom operators and streaming service players are taking some drastic measures – lowering streaming quality.

WhatsApp seems to have also joined the fray with a big change to its popular Status section. The company has reported restricted the ability to status videos to 15 seconds from earlier 30 seconds. The change could possibly help reduce the traffic on the server infrastructure. Wabetainfo reports the change has been rolled out in India which also happens to be WhatsApp’s largest market.