DUBLIN: WhatsApp has started offering instant video messaging that gives users the option of sending a clip of up to 60 seconds long into text chats.

The Meta-owned messaging application said the option would work along the same lines as its in-chat voice messaging or notes feature. "Just tap to switch to video mode, and hold to record the video," are the instructions.

"It's as easy as sending a quick voice message," according to Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg, who posted about the announcement on Facebook.

WhatsApp said the video messages can be recorded hands-free - by swiping up to lock - and come with the standard end-to-end encryption. But they play on silent after being opened, meaning the recipient has to tap the unmute icon in the chat.

The "fun way to share moments" is to be made available to all WhatsApp users "over the coming weeks," the company said.

WhatsApp has around two billion users worldwide, according to the latest estimates by We Are Social, a British business that tracks Internet use.

 - dpa