What to know

  • WhatsApp will soon let you see which of your contacts have been ‘Recently online’.
  • WhatsApp is also working on a ‘Start chatting’ section that will list the contacts that you’ve recently added to your contacts list.
  • Both these features are an effort to make users more proactively communicate with their contacts on the platform. 

Like any company, WhatsApp wants you to make use of its messaging app as much as possible. To that end, it’s implementing features to facilitate interaction between users and their contacts. You will soon be able to see which of your contacts have been recently online.

WABetaInfo found the change in a recent WhatsApp beta for Android (2.24.9.14) that shows a ‘Recently online’ section when selecting contacts to place a call. Although the list of recently online contacts won’t be a comprehensive one, showing only a few contacts that have been online recently, it will nevertheless allow users to determine whom they can talk to without worrying about whether they’re being disturbed. This shouldn’t override the privacy setting of user’s online status. 

  • Image: WABeta
  • Image: WABeta

There’s also a ‘Start chatting’ section in the main Chats section that will list the new contacts that have been added to the user’s contacts list. This will not only allow users to quickly find recently added contacts but also urge them to start a conversation with them. 

It’s safe to say that once these features are released, you can expect more calls and messages from users that you’ve recently been in touch with.