With this new upgrade, WhatsApp hopes to encourage users to chat more by letting them know which of their contacts have recently used the program.
WABetaInfo was able to view beta testing, which indicates that the upgrade will provide a list of individuals who have recently logged on.
By displaying contacts in a user’s contact list to whom they have not yet sent a message, the goal is to facilitate the beginning of new conversations.
Users will begin receiving the update in the upcoming weeks. It is now available in the pre-release versions of WhatsApp for iOS and Android.
It is important to remember that the update is optional and does not display every person online at any one time.
Instead, users will be able to discover who might be available for instant contact by looking at the broad picture of who has been online recently. These details will vanish when users attempt to start a new conversation or call.
‘This feature gives consumers a snapshot of recent online activity instead of an exhaustive list of all currently online contacts,’ according to WABetaInfo.
Since the function is intended to provide a broad overview of activity rather than a real-time status update for every contact, it implies that a complete online status activity for every contact isn’t provided.
If a contact has blocked you or you haven’t messaged them previously, users won’t be able to check if they have been online.
WABetaInfo reported that WhatsApp has included a number of privacy features in the new feature, even though it already has the ability to indicate when users are online, whether they are typing, and when they were last seen.
“It is crucial to note that this feature was developed with privacy in mind. Contacts who have disabled their online status and last seen will not appear in this list, guaranteeing that user privacy preferences are always honored,” the WABetaInfo stated.
It is possible to disable the feature or enable it for a limited group of users.
Turning it off, meanwhile, also makes it impossible to see when other people are online.