Instagram has started letting users post stories directly to WhatsApp

Now Facebook is looking at how to bring WhatsApp into the fold. "We are always testing ways to improve the experience on Instagram and make it easier to share any moment with the people who matter to you", a Facebook spokesperson told TechCrunch.

The social media site, which is owned by Facebook, is now testing the new feature on a small amount of users in hope that it will be rolled out globally this year.

It's based on publicly available code that WhatsApp makes available to integrate WhatsApp messaging with third-party apps on the web or on Android.

The first of these seems simple enough: it's to give one more bit of functionality and therefore usage to Instagram Stories, which are already very popular and as of last June were outstripping usage of the Snapchat product they were created to clone.

To recall, Facebook recently rolled out the ability to post Instagram Stories directly on Facebook as Facebook Stories.

When Instagram users press the "add to Story" button, they will see a new menu, with the option to share Snapchat-like Stories to WhatsApp.

WhatsApp users in India sent over 20 billion messages on December 31 as they ushered in 2018 with wishes to family and friends.

After selecting this option, the same image/video will then appear in WhatsApp with a small Instagram logo in the bottom corner.

While Facebook's plan is not as ambitious as Snapchat's, the latest trial suggests it wants to find ways for Instagram Stories to be seen outside the app to boost its user numbers.

Snapchat is also working on "Stories Everywhere" feature.

Finally, Facebook might be cross-pollinating its apps in an effort to not just increase the amount of time you spend on them, but also better push folks from one app to the other.

This has taken some different forms so far.

Earlier this month, Instagram started experimenting with recommended posts. The feature was first tested in Portugal.

Together, this could all help Facebook grow its overall engagement and traffic footprint. These posts show up in your timeline, but they're not from people that you now follow.