WHATSAPP is introducing a new feature that lets you post status updates directly to Facebook.

Starting today, users can sling their status updates over to their Facebook Story at the push of a button.

For now, update is only available to members of WhatsApp’s beta programme – a small group of users who test its features early.

But it’s likely the new tool will roll out to users across the globe within the next few months.

As well as Facebook, the new share tool lets you ping your statuses to Instagram, as well as other services like Gmail or Google Photos.

WhatsApp statuses allow you to share text, photos, videos and GIFs that disappear after 24 hours. They work much like the Stories feature in Snapchat or Facebook.

That means they’ll be similar to the content your seeing in people’s Stories already, so they shouldn’t feel too jarring.

Facebook says the merge doesn’t require you to link your WhatsApp account to Facebook or other services, which may quell fears of illicit data sharing.

The tool pops up as a new sharing option beneath your status.

Users simply tap it to bring up the menu, then hit “share now” to ping it over to their Facebook Story.

The status will then appear in your Story alongside any posts you’ve made from Facebook itself.

The move is part of a controversial move by Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg to merge the services of Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram.

For the first time, users will be able to send messages between the networks without needing to switch apps.

Slippery Zuck is working to fully implement the trio by 2021.

The move has sparked privacy fears among cyber experts, citing Facebook’s spotty history with its treatment of user data.