WhatsApp is reportedly testing a new “Close Friends” feature that mirrors Instagram’s private sharing option — letting you share Status updates only with a selected group of contacts, rather than all your whatsapp contacts.
🔐 1. What is the Close Friends Feature?
Right now, whatsapp Status lets you share updates with:
All contacts,
All except selected contacts, or
Only with specific contacts (manual pick each time).
But the new Close Friends option aims to simplify and personalize this by letting you:
✔️ Create a dedicated list of close contacts once
✔️ Share Status updates automatically only with them
✔️ Avoid manual selection every time you post new content
This is similar to how Close Friends works on instagram Stories — making privacy easier and more flexible.
👥 2. How It Will Work
Here’s what the feature reportedly includes:
✅ Easy audience control: Create a Close Friends list in privacy settings.
✅ Selective sharing: When posting a Status, choose between everyone or just close friends.
✅ No notifications: people won’t be notified if they’re added or removed from the list.
✅ Stronger privacy: A different colored ring may appear around your profile when you share a Close Friends Status to indicate a limited audience.
👉 Any changes to the list only affect future Status updates — not ones already shared.
📊 3. Why whatsapp Is Adding This
WhatsApp’s Status feature is used by over a billion users daily. The addition of a Close Friends option:
Makes personal sharing more private and controlled,
Encourages users to post more personal content without broadcasting it to everyone,
Reduces the need to manually exclude contacts every time you share something unique.
It’s part of a broader push to give users more granular privacy controls across the app — similar to instagram features already familiar to many.
⏳ 4. When Will It Be Available?
So far, the Close Friends feature is in development and testing — spotted in beta versions (e.g., Android beta 2.26.5.11).
WhatsApp has not officially released it yet, and there’s no confirmed global rollout date. But given the beta activity and reports, it could arrive in coming months with future app updates.
💡 5. What You Can Do Now
✔️ Keep your whatsapp updated — once the feature is released, you’ll see it in the Status privacy settings.
✔️ Familiarize yourself with existing options like My Contacts & Only Share With — these already help limit who sees your Status.
✔️ Be alert for a new UI change that lets you choose Close Friends when posting.
This feature will make whatsapp Status more tailored and private, especially for personal updates you don’t want shown to everyone.
📌 Bottom Line
WhatsApp is testing an Instagram‑like Close Friends feature that gives users better privacy and control over who sees their Status updates — letting you share only with select contacts easily. The tool is still in beta, but a full launch is expected in future app updates.
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