WhatsApp will get a ‘Close Friends’ feature

Meta* is preparing an update for WhatsApp Status, a service used by more than 1.5 billion people around the world every day. Users will now only be able to share stories with a limited number of people – via the “Close Friends” feature already familiar on the social network.

The update will also allow users to share stories with a limited number of people.

How WhatsApp Status works now

Status in WhatsApp is set up much like Instagram’s Stories*: photos and videos disappear after 24 hours. When posting, you can choose the level of privacy:

• “My Contacts” – the entry will be seen by everyone in the list;
• “My contacts except…” – you can hide the status from certain people;
• “Share only with…” – only selected users will get access.

In practice, this last option is often used as a replacement for the “Close Friends” list.

What will change with the new update

According to WABetaInfo, the “Close Friends” setting has already appeared in the test version of WhatsApp for iOS.

• The “Close Friends” list is created in the privacy section.
• When publishing, you can choose to show the status to all or only close friends.
• These statuses will have a special colored ring around the icon to distinguish them from the usual ones.
• The list itself will remain private – no one will know whether it was added or removed.

Why it’s needed

Meta* extends privacy controls. Users will now be able to separate personal updates and “for everyone” postings, which is especially relevant to WhatsApp, where Status has become a popular way to communicate (though the feature is little used in the U.S.

* Owned by Meta, it is recognized as an extremist organization in Russia and its activities are banned.