Facebook-owned WhatsApp has rolled out an update to its status feature that lets users add photos and videos - similar to tools already offered by the likes of Snapchat.

To coincide with the eighth birthday of the messaging app it has added new features to status, which, until now, only gave users the option of using text to update their contacts on what they are doing.

Now there is the option of adding photo and video to a status update, which, according to WhatsApp's co-founder and CEO Jan Koum, "will let you keep your friends who use WhatsApp easily updated in a fun and simple way".

All status updates are protected with end-to-end encryption and can be set to disappear after 24 hours.

The feature is very similar to Snapchat's Stories feature, which was also emulated by Instagram - another Facebook-owned platform - last year. According to eMarketer, Facebook itself is testing a similar feature among users in Ireland.