WhatsApp has reintroduced a revamped “About” status feature, allowing users to post short text updates that vanish after a set time — very similar to instagram Notes.
What Exactly Is the New “About” Status?
· Text-Based Updates: Users can now write short text snippets to express what they’re up to, how they’re feeling, or simply why they might not be available.
· Prominent Placement: These updates appear above one-on-one chats and on users’ profile pages. That makes them more visible and more engaging.
· Disappearing by Default: The default duration for these “About” updates is 24 hours, but users can change the timer to be shorter or longer if they want.
· Visibility Controls: You can decide who sees your About update — whether it’s just your contacts or a wider circle.
· Reply Option: Someone who views your About update can tap on it and directly reply to it, making it more interactive.
Why This Feature Is Significant
1. Coming Full Circle: whatsapp says this isn’t entirely new — the original version of whatsapp allowed users to post short status-like text updates in the About section before messaging became its main use case.
2. More Expressive, Less Clutter: Instead of just having status updates for photos or videos, this gives a lightweight way to communicate small thoughts, availability, or mood — without needing to start a full chat.
3. Potential for Growth: Right now, the About status supports only text. Unlike instagram Notes, it doesn’t yet support multimedia like looping videos or music. But whatsapp suggests that these might come in the future if the feature becomes popular.
Some Challenges & User Feedback
· Simplicity Over Features: Several reports say the feature is quite basic at launch — just text, no bells and whistles like Instagram’s version.
· Custom Timer Confusion: While you can change how long an update stays, not all users may find this intuitive.
· Visibility Issues: Some users on Reddit have reported bugs — for example, their old About status got reset or disappeared.
· Rendering Problems: A few users say that after the update, their text statuses show up as blurry images instead of clear text.
Why This Move by Meta Makes Sense
· Blending Messaging with Social Sharing: By adding social-style features (like disappearing text updates), whatsapp is bridging the gap between pure messaging and social interaction.
· Monetization Space: This kind of ephemeral update lives in the Updates tab, which is also where whatsapp is rolling out new monetization features like ads and paid channels.
· User Engagement: Short text updates could encourage more engagement and make profiles feel more dynamic — not just static “About me” sentences.
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