WhatsApp officially announced the launch of the short video messages feature today, Thursday, after weeks of testing.

WhatsApp, owned by Meta, stated in a post on its blog: "Voice messages on WhatsApp have changed the way people communicate by providing a quick and secure way to share your messages in your own voice."

The company added: "We are pleased to introduce this new feature (Instant Video Messages). You can now record short personal videos and share them directly in the chat."

WhatsApp explained that users can use video messages to respond to chats in real-time, visually expressing what they want to say through a clip of up to 60 seconds.

WhatsApp, which is the most widely used instant messaging service worldwide, believes that this method will be enjoyable for sharing important moments, capturing all the emotions conveyed by the video, "whether you’re wishing someone a happy birthday, laughing at a joke, or sharing some good news."

According to WhatsApp, sending a video message is just as easy as sending a voice message. You simply need to press the microphone icon to switch to video mode, then hold to record the video.

Users can also swipe up to lock and record the video without needing to keep their fingers on the screen. Videos will automatically play on mute when opened in chat, and sound will play when the video is pressed.

Video messages are end-to-end encrypted to keep users’ messages secure.

WhatsApp said it has started rolling out the video messages feature and it will be available to everyone in the coming weeks.

Additionally, users can download the WhatsApp app for Android through the Google Play Store, and for iOS through Apple’s App Store. The app can also be downloaded for other mobile and desktop devices from its official website.