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WhatsApp is developing a new centralized interface that will show on a single screen which online contacts are available at the moment, which are favorites, and which have used the app recently. According to the portal Olhar Digital, the novelty, identified by WABetaInfo and 9To5Mac in the beta version for iPhone, will function as a “contact hub” integrated into WhatsApp settings. The functionality will respect current privacy rules: only those who keep their own status visible will see the online status of other users.
WhatsApp may be about to solve an annoyance that has accompanied its users forever. Those who use the app know that discovering if a friend is connected requires patience: you need to open each person’s chat individually and look at the top of the screen to check if “online” appears or the time of the last access. The new functionality in development on WhatsApp creates a single screen that gathers all active contacts at the moment, eliminating the need to open dozens of conversations to find who is available.
The novelty was identified in the beta version of WhatsApp for iPhone and is in the development phase, with no official release date. The app usually adopts a cautious and gradual schedule to release new features, testing first with small groups of users before expanding to the global base. The functionality will be integrated into WhatsApp settings and divided into three sections: favorite contacts at the top, a list of who is online at that moment, and people who have used the app recently. Privacy rules will be fully maintained.
How the new WhatsApp screen will work
The WhatsApp contact center will be organized to facilitate navigation and the start of new conversations. Favorite contacts, defined by the user, will appear at the top of the page for quick access. Just below, a dedicated section will show all friends who have WhatsApp open at that moment.
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The third section, called “recently active,” will list people who have used WhatsApp recently, even if they are not online at the exact moment of checking. This layered division transforms the experience of searching for available contacts: instead of opening conversation by conversation hoping to find someone connected, the WhatsApp user will be able to see on a single screen who is available to chat.
What changes in WhatsApp privacy
For those concerned about exposure, the new WhatsApp feature fully respects existing privacy settings. The app will only allow the user to see the activity status of contacts if they also keep their own “online” visible in WhatsApp settings. If you have chosen to hide your status, the center will not show your contacts’ information.
This reciprocity already works today on WhatsApp for “last seen” and “online” status, and will be maintained in the new interface. In practice, those who value privacy and have already disabled status display will not be affected by the change.
The feature is an additional resource for those who already share their activity status, not an imposition on those who prefer discretion.
When the novelty arrives for all WhatsApp users
The feature is still in the initial testing phase and has not been released even to most WhatsApp beta testers. The app historically takes weeks or months between identifying a feature in beta and its official release, and many tested novelties end up being modified or even discarded before reaching the final version.
WhatsApp usually launches features first for iPhone and then expands to Android, or vice versa, and in some cases releases the feature by region before activating it globally.
There is no official schedule, but the fact that the contact center is already functional in the beta version indicates that development has advanced beyond the concept phase. For the more than 2 billion WhatsApp users worldwide, the change may seem small, but it solves a daily problem that everyone recognizes.
Why this change matters for WhatsApp users
The absence of a centralized online contacts screen has always been one of the most commented gaps of WhatsApp compared to competitors like Telegram and Messenger, which already offer status indicators in contact lists.
WhatsApp’s decision to finally implement this feature suggests that the company is responding to a long-standing user demand who never understood why they needed to open each conversation individually.
For work groups, families, and friends who use WhatsApp as their main communication tool, knowing who is online before sending a message changes the dynamic: instead of messaging someone who might only see it hours later, the user can choose to chat with someone who is available at that moment. The change is simple, but it can affect how millions of people use WhatsApp every day.
Did you miss seeing all online contacts on one screen in WhatsApp? Do you think it invades privacy or facilitates communication? Tell us in the comments.
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