Meta is expanding WhatsApp Status with a “Close Friends” feature, mirroring a popular option already available on Instagram. WhatsApp Status, similar to Instagram Stories, allows users to share photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours, and is currently used by 1.5 billion people daily worldwide.
The new feature, discovered by WABetaInfo in the latest TestFlight release, will allow users to create a dedicated “Close Friends” list within their privacy settings. This provides a more streamlined alternative to the existing options of “My Contacts,” “My Contacts Except…,” and “Only Share With…,” the latter of which many users currently utilize as a makeshift Close Friends list.
When posting a Status update, users will be able to choose between sharing it with their entire contact list or restricting it to their “Close Friends” group. This offers increased control and flexibility over audience selection. The “Close Friends” list itself will remain private, meaning users will not be notified if they are added to or removed from someone’s list, similar to Instagram’s functionality.
Updates shared with the “Close Friends” list will be visually distinguished by a different-colored ring, clearly indicating that the update is being shared with a select group of individuals rather than a broader audience. This visual cue aligns with the design of Instagram’s Close Friends feature.
The addition of the “Close Friends” feature aims to enhance the WhatsApp Status experience by providing users with more granular control over who views their updates, catering to those who prefer sharing specific content with a smaller, more intimate circle.
