WhatsApp to Launch 'Close Friends' for Status Updates: Everything You Need to Know

 

WhatsApp is working on a new feature that will let you share your status with close friends.

{getToc} $title={Table of Contents} $count={Boolean} $expanded={Boolean}

When this feature rolls out, it will be beneficial to many people, as they will no longer have to manually hide their status from their boss or distant relatives. This feature will also be advantageous to those who stopped posting altogether, since the process of selecting who can see your status and who cannot is a bit tiresome.

This brings the beloved Instagram feature to WhatsApp, making sharing personal moments safer and easier.

What is the "Close Friends" Feature? 

According to wabetainfo, for you to share WhatsApp status with close friends, you must select the contacts you want to be included in the close friends list, and you can also add the list of close friends you want from the status interface.

Just like Instagram, when you post a status using this list, it will have a different colored ring around the profile photo, which will signal to the viewer that they are in your inner circle.

How Will It Work?

This feature is still in beta testing. We don’t have a clear pattern of how it will work, but we can try to recreate a step-by-step breakdown on how this feature will work.

Step-by-step Breakdown

Creating the list: Users will likely go to status privacy settings to create/edit their close friends.

Posting: When uploading a new photo/video, a new toggle will appear asking “Who can see this?”: my contacts or my close friends.

Editing: You have full control to add or remove people whenever you like, and don't worry, they won't be notified if you take them off the list. Just remember that these changes aren't retroactive. If you share a status and then remove someone, they can still see that specific post. Your changes will only apply to the next thing you share.

WhatsApp vs. Instagram: The "Meta" Ecosystem

Think of this as WhatsApp borrowing a page from its cooler sibling, Instagram, and since Meta owns both platforms, it makes sense that they are standardizing the experience.

If you already use close friends on Instagram, which I do use a lot by the way, this upcoming update will feel distinctively familiar, which I think is Meta's broader push to create a unified privacy ecosystem, ensuring that whether you are posting a story on Facebook, Instagram, and ow Whatsapp, you have the same intuitive control over who gets to peek into your personal life, without needing to relearn the rules of each app.

Release Date & Availability

We don’t have a release date yet because it’s currently in development. We expect these features to roll out in a few weeks or months after hitting the beta channel.

Conclusion & Call to Action

This feature is a win for user privacy, just think of these as locking your own door vs inviting your inner circle.

Currently Whatsapp forces you to block or hide people you don’t want to see your updates, which is very tedious, and it is easy to mess up. Now, now this new feature flips the script. Instead of worrying about who you need to hide from, you just select the specific people you actually want to share with. It takes the anxiety out of personal moments because you know exactly who is watching.

Will you use this feature to share more personal updates, or do you prefer keeping your status public? Let us know in the comments