WhatsApp is on the updates accelerator once again and is working on another feature to make your life easier. WABetaInfo has unearthed a feature to display your status update directly on the Chats page in WhatsApp for Android, and this handy feature is currently under development.
WhatsApp working on display status updates in the chat lists
Roughly a month ago, the company was reported to be working on a similar feature for iOS. But WhatsApp has not forgotten about Android users. We now see the social media platform is working on displaying status updates in the chat list for WhatsApp Android as well.
So far, the feature has been spotted during a WhatsApp desktop beta, and it is under development for Android and iOS.
Here's how it may look on Android
The thing with WhatsApp status updates is currently that they are, in a way, quite invisible. You need to know specifically to look for someone's status update, in order to find it. When this new feature is completed, you will be able to see who published a new status update directly in your chat lists. That way, you won't miss important status updates from your friends.
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This feature was first spotted, as we already mentioned, on the desktop version of the popular chat app. Here's a screenshot preview from when the change was first spotted:
According to WABetaInfo, if you chose to click on the chat cell, WhatsApp will open the conversation, and if you click on the profile pic of the contact, the app will show you the status update itself. On this screenshot, the first contact has published a status update. It seems that it will look quite like someone who has published a story on Instagram, for example.
Reportedly, the feature cannot be disabled from WhatsApp Settings, so once it becomes official, you are probably stuck with it.
The publication, however, is not currently giving any time frame for the release of this quite useful feature. Android and iOS users will both have to wait for now until they can enjoy being up to date with all your chat friends at a glance (and a tap -- but way easier than what it is now!).
For those of you who are curious about the process: we know that once the feature is developed, it comes first to those chosen ones (we mean, the WhatsApp beta testers) before making its way to the general public. With that being said, it might be some months before we see the feature live.
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Iskra Petrova is a news writer at PhoneArena, where she covers mobile tech news and maintains the site’s device hubs with the latest leaked specs, rumors, and official details for upcoming phones. She joined PhoneArena in 2020 after three years in technical support for Microsoft Exchange, giving her practical experience with software infrastructure and troubleshooting. Iskra holds a Master’s Degree in Literature, which helps her translate complex tech details into clear, reader-friendly coverage. She is a daily Apple ecosystem user, while also closely following Sony Xperia’s camera-focused phones and Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip series.
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