While most users in the US haven't used or even heard of WhatsApp's Status Updates, Meta recently revealed that the tab is now used by 1.5 billion people daily worldwide. WhatsApp will soon add a Close Friends, similar to Instagram.
WhatsApp Status works like Instagram Stories, allowing users to post photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours. In recent years, Instagram users have enjoyed a Close Friends feature, which allows them to select specific people to share updates with, rather than posting them to their entire follower list.
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According to WABetaInfo, Meta is preparing to bring the same feature to WhatsApp Status's 1.5 billion daily users, who can currently only choose between sharing with all contacts (My Contacts), sharing with all contacts except specific people (My Contacts Except), or using a custom list via the "Only Share With..." option.
While many users currently rely on the “Only Share With…” option to send updates to closest friends , they will soon have both options (Only Share With and Close Friends), offering greater flexibility as to who can see each update.
WhatsApp Status: Close Friends
Based on evidence found by WABetaInfo in the latest TestFlight build, users will be able to create a special Close Friends list within the existing privacy settings screen. When posting a new Status update, users will have the option to share it with their entire contact list or limit it to a select group of closest friends.
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Like on Instagram, these updates will be visually distinguished with a different colored ring around them, making it clear to those contacts that they are seeing an update that is only shared with select friends and not a wider audience. The list itself will be private, meaning people will not be notified if they are added or removed.
This new feature is expected to change the way WhatsApp users share their personal moments, offering greater privacy and control. It will also allow users to create closer communication groups, strengthening the sense of community and trust between users. Meta continues to integrate features that have proven popular on its other platforms, such as Instagram, to improve the WhatsApp user experience.
The addition of Close Friends to WhatsApp is a move that shows Meta’s direction towards unifying the features of its apps, offering a coherent and uniform user experience. Meta is gradually unifying the experience between WhatsApp and Instagram, reinforcing the sense of a common app ecosystem. This homogenization not only makes it easier for users, but also acts as a tool to increase engagement, since it reduces the need to switch from platform to platform.
With the increasing importance of privacy in digital communications, this new feature is expected to become particularly popular among users who wish to share their moments with greater security and selectivity.
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The introduction of the Close Friends feature on WhatsApp is not just a technical upgrade, but a strategic move that shows how Meta is trying to meet the needs of different categories of users. WhatsApp, unlike Instagram, is mainly used for more personal and direct communication, which means that the ability to selectively share will have even greater weight. For example, many users want to share family moments or more sensitive content without having to permanently limit access to their posts.
