WHATSAPP is set to make a massive change in a bid to boost its unpopular status feature.
The platform launched statuses on the app in 2017 but they’ve been tucked away under their own tab, leaving them pretty much neglected by most users.
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But in a future update, WhatsApp looks set to make a major push that will make it more like Instagram than ever.
According to leaked screenshots, techies are planning to add user statuses directly to the main chat list.
That way, no one can miss it.
As WABetaInfo – who revealed the overhaul – explains: “If the user clicks on the chat cell, WhatsApp opens the conversation with the contact but if they click on the profile picture of the contact that published a status update, their status update shows up.
“Surely more people will start viewing status updates published by their contacts after the release of this feature.”
It’s not clear when WhatsApp plans to roll the changes out, as work building it out is still underway.
And as ever with early leaks like this, WhatsApp bosses could well decide not to go ahead with it and abandon the plans.
It’s not the only tweak the Meta-owned service is developing either.
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Testers have also noticed new end-to-end indicators.
This isn’t quite as significant, but it seems a footer will appear at the bottom of the chat list, reminding users that their chats are end-to-end encrypted.
Recently it was revealed that users could soon have the power to link a second smartphone to their WhatsApp account.
How to join WhatsApp beta
To download WhatsApp beta for your smartphone you need to go to Google Play on your Android and search for WhatsApp.
Scroll down the page until you see “Become a Beta Tester”.
Tap the “I’m In” button and then click “Join” to confirm.
Now all you have to do is wait for the update to the beta version of the app.
Joining the WhatsApp beta on iPhone is more difficult, and has limited capacity.
Follow Apple’s guide here.
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This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk
