Surprise WhatsApp change means you can finally use Facebook & Instagram LESS – but you need to switch new perk on first
META, the social media giant behind WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram, is giving users the ability to link up all their accounts.
It means is users share a picture or video to their WhatsApp status, it can visible on their Facebook and Instagram Stories too.
The new feature also allows users to link their WhatsApp to their Meta Quest virtual reality headsets.
It is expected to make it easier for users to share their WhatsApp status with Facebook and Instagram Stories, according to Meta.
WhatsApp status allows users to share text, photos, videos, and GIFs that disappear after 24 hours - and functions similarly to Facebook and Instagram's Stories feature.
So, users can avoid "having to post multiple times" across the apps, Meta said in a blog post on the update.
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The tech company added that it will also help users log into their WhatsApp accounts more easily.
The update, which is due to roll out to users in the coming weeks to months, means users can "log back in to [their] WhatsApp account with a single sign-on".
Whether you want all your accounts tied together or not - the choice is yours.
Meta has said it will be optional, and off by default - meaning if you do want a neat little ecosystem of accounts, you will have to link them manually in the Meta Accounts Centre.
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The Meta Accounts Centre is a central hub where users can manage and link all their various Meta app profiles.
"Our approach for WhatsApp is simple: your account is separate from other apps and no-one but you can change that,” Meta said.
“While adding your WhatsApp to Accounts Centre is completely optional and off by default, it can help those who want features to work more seamlessly across apps."
It will be a phased update, rolling out gradually to WhatsApp's two billion users in the next couple of months.
Meta was quick to mention that there will be no changes to WhatsApp's security following the update.
The popular messenger app will keep its end-to-end encryption - meaning no one, not even WhatsApp or Meta can read or hear your messages.
"Adding your WhatsApp to Accounts Centre does not change that," said Meta.
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