Key Takeaways
- WhatsApp is testing a new Contacts tab in its Android app.
- The tab displays online status and birthday reminders for contacts.
- Users can search and sort contacts by name, phone number, or activity.
WhatsApp is currently rolling out a beta update that introduces a new Contacts tab in its Android app. This feature is designed to provide users with a more organized and user-friendly way to manage their contacts.
The new Contacts tab appears directly in the bottom navigation bar of the WhatsApp app. It displays a list of contacts, with a green dot indicating which contacts are currently online. Users who have disabled their last seen or online visibility will not appear as online.
In addition to online status, the Contacts tab also includes birthday reminders. If a contact has a birthday on the current day, WhatsApp will display a cake emoji alongside a ‘Birthday today’ label. This information is automatically pulled from the user’s phone contacts.
Users can search for contacts using a name, phone number, or username. The contact list can be sorted alphabetically or by activity, with currently online contacts appearing first. The tab also includes an option to invite people who do not already use WhatsApp.
The new feature is currently available in the latest WhatsApp beta for Android through the Google Play Store. It is still under development and has not been rolled out to all users. WhatsApp has not announced when it will become available to all Android users.
The update is part of WhatsApp’s ongoing efforts to enhance user experience and provide more convenient ways to manage contacts. While the feature is currently limited to beta testers, it is expected to offer significant improvements to the app’s main screen.
For now, the new Contacts tab remains a beta feature and is not available to all users. However, it is expected to provide a more organized and user-friendly way to manage contacts, with features such as online status and birthday reminders.
Users can download the beta version of WhatsApp from the Google Play Store to try out the new Contacts tab. The app is still under development, and WhatsApp has not announced any specific timeline for a wider release.
