Big WhatsApp update! Users can know when their contacts were online

WhatsApp may be working on a new feature allowing users to tell when their contacts were last online. The feature currently in development would show the last time a contact was active, making it hard for contacts to keep their chatting activity hidden. A new list with the last active time will appear on the app. However, this list would include only some contacts, the selection criteria of which are unclear currently.

What is this new WhatsApp feature?

According to WABetaInfo, the latest WhatsApp beta for Android version has a dedicated list to show who was active recently on the app. This could make it easier for users to check who is most likely to answer a text or pick up a call. However, this may not be a privacy-friendly feature because otherwise the existing feature to turn off ‘last seen’  — one of WhatsApp’s most popular features — hides when a contact was last online.

The list, to be available as part of the upcoming feature, however, would not include last seen or online information about contacts. That raises a question: what exactly would this list show? Apart from mentioning that the list would show information about a contact’s last online activity, the report does not tell how it will work. It is also unclear if contacts would have control over their privacy concerning this feature.

Who can use it right now?

Since this upcoming feature is available in the latest beta version of WhatsApp for Android, only testers have access to it. WhatsApp may soon bring this feature to the stable channel, but an exact rollout timeline is also unclear.

Meanwhile, WhatsApp recently overhauled the design of the Android app for all users. Previously available to select users not on the beta channel, the new design has all the tabs at the bottom, making the chat list and other sections look more streamlined. The colour theme of WhatsApp has also slightly changed with more profound white and black backgrounds in the app, depending on the light or dark theme.