WhatsApp's Contacts tab will reportedly include a search bar at the top of the screen to let users look up a contact by name, number or username.
Contacts tab will reportedly respect users' existing privacy preferences
Photo Credit: Reuters
WhatsApp may soon have a dedicated section for contacts. The instant messaging platform is reportedly developing a new Contacts tab that will allow users to find people quickly. It could also include a green indicator showing users who are online. It will offer access to additional contact-related features. The Contacts tab is expected to show birthday reminders. This feature is currently under development for Android and is not available for beta testers yet.
As per a report by WABetaInfo, WhatsApp is testing a Contacts tab for the Android app that will bring all contacts together. This section could help users find their contacts on the same screen, show who is online, check birthday reminders, and invite new people to WhatsApp.
The Contacts tab will reportedly include a search bar at the top to find people using their name, phone number, or username. The contact list can reportedly be arranged by activity or alphabetically. The former option arranges contacts who are currently online at the top. The alphabetical option arranges the entire list by name.
WhatsApp will reportedly show a green dot on a contact's profile picture to indicate when they are online. For offline contacts, the app can show their last seen information if the user has not hidden the "Last Seen" status.
The Contacts tab will reportedly include birthday reminders. When a contact has a birthday, WhatsApp is said to display a cake emoji along with a “Birthday today” label alongside their name. This would allow users to initiate a conversation without having to check individual chats.
The Contacts tab could also include a link to access Meta AI. This is likely to appear below the contact list, while an “Invite a friend” option at the bottom could let users share an invitation link with people who are not yet using WhatsApp.
The new Contacts tab will align with existing privacy preferences of the users. If a contact hides their online status, the green dot will not appear for them. Contacts who have disabled their last seen information will not be listed based on recent activity.
The Contacts tab for Android is not available through the beta programme. We can expect WhatsApp to release it in a future update.
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