New features of WhatsApp: Share status to close friends like Instagram
Development of WhatsApp status feature that brings new experience
WhatsApp has re-prepared a feature update that is predicted to change the way the user shares the status in the messaging application. The meta platform is currently testing a new feature called Close Friends for WhatsApp or WA status, a system that allows users to limit anyone who can see their status uploads.
This WhatsApp feature is said to be similar to Close Friends on Instagram Stories, which is a list of close friends who are specially selected to see certain content that is more personal. With this feature, users no longer need to bother changing their privacy settings every time they want to share a status only with certain people.
Some information about the development of this feature was first discovered by the WhatsApp feature leaking site, WabetaInfo. The site is known to regularly monitor updates in the Beta version of WhatsApp, which is a trial version of the application which is usually used to test features before being widely released to all users.
According to the WABetaInfo report, the Close Friends feature for WA status is currently only available to some Android and iOS beta users. WhatsApp is said to be expanding its testing gradually in the coming weeks. This feature is known to appear on WhatsApp Beta Android version 2.26.19.11 and WhatsApp Beta iOS version 26.19.10.72.
WhatsApp wants users to be more free to set status privacy
So far, WhatsApp has provided status privacy settings. Users can choose whether the status will be shared with all contacts, specific contacts, or exclude certain people. However, the system is considered less practical because users have to change the privacy settings manually every time they want to upload a different status.
Through the Close Friends feature, WhatsApp seems to want to make the process simpler and more flexible. Users will simply make a list of close friends or certain groups, then select that list when sharing statuses. In this way, users do not need to go back and forth to the privacy settings every time they want to limit the audience.
This concept is very similar to the Close Friends feature belonging to Instagram Stories which was already popular. On Instagram, users can select certain accounts to view private stories that are not displayed to the public or all followers. Now a similar approach is starting to be taken by WhatsApp to their status service.
There is a special marker in the form of a purple circle
One of the interesting things about this new feature is the presence of a special visual marker on the status that is shared to the Close Friends list or a certain audience. According to the screenshot shared by WABetaInfo, the status will have a purple circle around the status indicator.
The marker is a sign that the upload is not shared with everyone, but only for certain groups that have been selected by the user. Thus, status recipients can also find out that they are included in the special list that can see the feature.
Even so, other users who are not on the list will not know the contents of the status at all. WhatsApp ensures that the private status will not appear in any form to people outside the selected list.
WhatsApp Prepares Special Audience Features
Not only presenting Close Friends, WhatsApp is also developing a special audience list feature. This feature allows users to create several different groups of contacts as needed. For example, a user can create a “family” list to share personal moments, or a “office friend” list for work-related statuses.
With this system, users become more free to determine who can see certain uploads. When you want to upload a status, the user will simply select the list of the desired audience. This method is considered more practical than having to select contacts one by one or reset privacy every time you create a new status.
The special audience features also provide greater flexibility in managing personal and professional lives in the same application.
Audience list can be personalized
WhatsApp not only provides a list of regular audiences, but also provides personalization options for its users. Users will be able to give special names and emojis to each audience list to make it easier to recognize. For example, a family list can be given a home emoji, while a close friend list can use a heart or star emoji.
Especially for the Close Friends list, WhatsApp is said to be giving a star emoji by default. The name and emoji of the list will also be displayed to the recipient of the status. This feature makes the usage experience feel more personal and organized.
In addition, users can also add or delete list members at any time directly through the status privacy settings. However, the change of the list only applies to the next upload and does not affect the status that was already posted.
still in the trial stage is limited
Although it has begun to be tested on Android and iOS beta, WhatsApp has not yet announced the official release schedule for all users. Because it is still in the beta stage, this feature is likely to still undergo various adjustments before it is actually released globally.
The beta version itself is an application development version that is used to test the stability and response of users to new features. Usually, only some users have early access to the beta feature.
If the test results are considered good and stable, then the feature will be expanded to more users before finally coming to the official version of the application.
