The WhatsApp Status size (1080×1920px)
WhatsApp Status is the app's Stories-style feature, shown vertically and full-screen, so 1080x1920 pixels at 9:16 is the right size. Uploading at this ratio fills the screen without bars and prevents WhatsApp from awkwardly zooming or padding an off-ratio image when contacts view your Status.
As with any full-screen story format, interface elements overlap your image. WhatsApp shows the contact name and timestamp near the top and the reply field along the bottom, so keep important text and faces out of roughly the top 200 pixels and bottom 250 pixels where those controls sit and can obscure content.
WhatsApp Status is more personal and casual than a public feed, viewed only by your contacts, so it does not need polished ad-style design. Still, if you add a caption over the image, high contrast keeps it readable against varied photos. Center the message so it lands clearly in the moments before the Status auto-advances to the next one.