WhatsApp Status is getting a Close Friends feature

While most U.S. users have never used—or even heard of—WhatsApp Status Updates, Meta recently revealed that the tab is now used by 1.5 billion people per day worldwide. And soon, WhatsApp will take a page from Instagram by adding a Close Friends feature.

If you’re unfamiliar with WhatsApp Status, it works much like Instagram Stories, where users can post photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours.

For the last few years, Instagram users have enjoyed a Close Friends feature, which lets them select specific people to share updates with rather than their entire followers list.

Now, according to WABetaInfo, Meta is preparing to bring that same option to the 1.5 billion daily WhatsApp Status users, who currently can only choose between:

• “My Contacts,” which shares the update with their entier contact list;
• “My Contacts Except…,”, which shares the update with all their contacts, except specific people;
• “Only Share With…,” which only shares the update with selected contacts.

While many users currently rely on the “Only Share With…” option as a makeshift Close Friends list, soon they’ll have both options, offering greater flexibility over who can see each update.

Here’s how it’ll work

Based on materials found by WABetaInfo in the latest TestFlight release, users will be able to create a dedicated Close Friends list from within the existing privacy settings screen.

When posting a new Status update, users will have the option to share it with their entire contact list, or restrict it to the selected group of closer friends.

Like on Instagram, these updates will be visually distinguished with a different-colored ring around them, making it clear to these contacts that they are seeing an update shared only with select friends rather than a broader audience.

And also like on Instagram, the list itself is private, which means people won’t be notified if they’re added or removed.

Have you ever used WhatsApp Status updates? Let us know in the comments.

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