WhatsApp is rolling out a new update through the Google Play Beta Program, bringing the version up to 2.23.20.12.
What’s new in this update? WhatsApp is working on an improved about feature called status, and it will be available in a future update of the app!
| Common questions | Answers |
|---|---|
| Name of the feature? | Status |
| Status? | Under development |
| Availability? | WhatsApp is working on bringing an improved about feature to a future update of the app. |
| I’ve installed this update but I don’t have this feature. Why? | This feature is under development so it’s not ready for beta testers, but you can discover a preview in this article. |
| Special thanks: | Swakshan, for collaborating, testing, and reporting! |
| Previous news? | WhatsApp is working on a new sidebar and group chat filter feature for the web client! |
STATUS
In addition to the current project to redesign the application to align with Material Design 3 guidelines, WhatsApp has also plans to implement numerous enhancements to certain legacy features, aiming to improve the user experience when interacting with them. One of these features is the “about” section, which typically contains brief information linked to our WhatsApp profile. Thanks to the latest WhatsApp beta for Android 2.23.20.12 update, which is available on the Google Play Store, we discovered the upcoming improvements for this feature, and it seems that WhatsApp intends to rebrand it as “Status” in the future.
A new option called “Add Status” is in development and it will be available within the app settings in a future update. Currently, we can confirm that this feature will offer users some default options, and it also includes certain features related to status updates. Specifically, WhatsApp has plans to ensure that the new text status will disappear from the user profile after a certain amount of time, as shown in this screenshot. At the moment, WhatsApp plans to provide users with these durations: 24 hours, 3 days, 1 week, and 2 weeks. After selecting how long the new text status lasts, it will disappear from the profile when the selected timeframe expires. However, users will have the ability to update the duration whenever they want.
In our opinion, this feature provides a significant benefit for users who often forget to update their “about”. Sometimes, people may forget to delete or update their “about”, resulting in outdated or irrelevant information persisting on their profiles. By allowing users to set an expiration for their text status information, WhatsApp aims to give users more control over this information even when they forget to delete or update it, all without requiring any additional effort on their part. It’s important to note that we cannot guarantee whether this feature will replace your “about” or if they will coexist together.
An improved about feature called status is under development and it will be available in a future update of the app. As always, we have plans to share a new article when we have further information regarding this feature.
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