WhatsApp beta for Android 2.24.20.3 brings an exciting new feature: Status Update Mentions. This new addition allows users to directly mention contacts in their status updates, enhancing engagement and making it easier to notify specific people when you share photos, videos, or thoughts. Although the feature is currently only available to a limited number of beta testers, it will be rolling out to more users over the coming weeks.
What are Status Update Mentions?
The new Status Update Mentions feature lets you tag specific contacts in your status, ensuring they receive a notification about your update. When you mention someone, they’ll get a direct notification and a message in their WhatsApp chat, making sure they don’t miss out on what you share. This is a great way to engage your intended audience, whether you’re updating friends on your latest adventure or sharing a special moment with family.
As seen in the WhatsApp beta for Android 2.24.20.3, users who have access to this feature will find a button within the caption bar when sharing a status update. This option appears before publishing the status, allowing you to choose specific people to mention easily. Once tagged, the mentioned contact will be notified that they’ve been included in your status update.
Privacy and confidentiality
One of the key aspects of the status update mentions feature is privacy. The mentions are entirely private, meaning that only the person you’ve mentioned will be aware that they were tagged. Other viewers of your status won’t see who was mentioned, making the interaction confidential. This adds a layer of personalization to your status updates, without exposing it to your broader audience.
Even more importantly, mentioned contacts will receive the status update regardless of your privacy settings. This ensures that if you need to notify someone specific, they will receive the update even if you’ve excluded them from other statuses. So, if you’ve got a special announcement for a friend or need to tag a colleague in a work-related update, they will get the notification even if your regular privacy settings would have otherwise blocked them.
Resharing the status
Another feature tied to status mentions is the ability for mentioned contacts to reshare the status update with their own audience. Once tagged, the contact can choose to share the update with their contacts, using a new reshare button within the status screen. This is useful if the update is relevant to their network or they find it important enough to share. However, when a status is reshared, the original creator’s identity remains anonymous to the new audience. This means viewers of the reshared status won’t be able to contact the original creator directly, maintaining the creator’s privacy.
Availability and compatibility
The status update mentions feature is currently in the beta phase, available to a limited number of testers who have installed the WhatsApp beta for Android 2.24.20.3 via the Google Play Beta Program. If you haven’t received access to the feature yet, don’t worry—it’s gradually rolling out to more beta users over the next few weeks.
Featured image credit: Anton/Pexels
