It’s said that WhatsApp is working on a new functionality that might drastically change how people check if their contacts are online.
The app is also working on a dedicated Contacts tab, which will likely enable people to track who their chats with an account with active/recent phone contacts rather than opening the chat window repeatedly.
This feature is currently in the testing phase of beta development for Android and iOS mobile versions of WhatsApp. The feature was initially found on the WhatsApp beta for Android version 2.26.13.3, according to reports by WABetaInfo and has now become available in the latest iOS beta version 26.20.10.70 (as part of Apple’s TestFlight).
This new feature is designed to keep communication efficient, and more fun and users can tell instantly, which friends, family, or co-workers are working on the platform right now. At the moment, WhatsApp shows a person’s online status only after users open a specific conversation window.
In the case of the person being offline, users might view their “last seen” timestamp when privacy settings are enabled. But, this process can be very annoying when the user is required to comb through multiple chats to find a current target user.
According to reports, WhatsApp is creating an alternate Contacts section within its app to be easy to understand. It will appear underneath the profile photo area in the settings section for this feature. It might offer a cleaner and more manageable interface that enables users to instantly access frequently contacted individuals and search for recent online activity more efficiently.
It is reported that online contacts will go at the top of the list, with an individual identifying themselves by means of a green status indicator located on the corner of their profile image. Recently active users can be tracked below the active contacts section, where users can check who was recently online.
The functionality is also expected to decrease the reliance on having to regularly start and finish a conversation just to check availability. It could really help those who prefer using WhatsApp for short calls, urgent messaging or real-time coordinated messaging.
On top of displaying online behaviour, the new Contacts hub is also likely to include a search bar for contact discovery. They can search contacts directly, enter phone numbers and scan QR codes to add incoming contacts in an instant, right from the same section.
WhatsApp is also reportedly testing sorting methods that let its users arrange contacts in alphabetical order rather than in the presence of online activity. This might allow for greater flexibility for users who would prefer a cleaner contact management experience or want to avoid visualising activities.
Crucially, the feature will retain WhatsApp’s existing privacy settings. That doesn't matter if the user wants to hide their status online or the last time something was seen via privacy controls; they won't show up in the online contacts list for others. In the same vein, users restricting visibility will lose the ability to view the online activity of restricted contacts.
In recent years, privacy has remained a major sticking point for WhatsApp, which has introduced features including chat locks, disappearing messages, encrypted backups, and advanced privacy controls. The new Contacts hub remains in prototype stage and has not yet been made publicly available for beta testers.
WhatsApp is said to roll out the feature in an upcoming update to its customers’ accounts in stages once the experiments and some optimisations are in place, according to reports. As this dynamic between messaging channels in the marketplace changes rapidly, WhatsApp seems committed to delivering a more convenient use and strong privacy safeguards. The app feature could be especially suitable for users who rely on the app for personal and work communication on a daily basis.
