WhatsApp to let users mention contacts in Status updates soon

WhatsApp is borrowing another Instagram feature to make the app more engaging. The Meta-owned chat app is now reportedly working on a feature to allow users to mention contacts in their Status posts. The mentioned users will receive a notification and have the option to repost the Status as their own, according to a report that claims the feature is currently in development.

WABetaInfo, the watchdog that keeps track of WhatsApp’s upcoming features, has reported that the ability to mention users in a Status will include a dedicated button. It will be available within the caption field when users are trying to add a photo or video to Status. While users will be able to mention contacts before sharing a Status, they may not be able to make changes after the Status has been posted. The Status post will immediately alert the mentioned user, who can initiate a chat by replying to the Status.

These mentions, however, will be private, meaning no one other than the people mentioned can see them. While WhatsApp already offers two privacy levels for Status updates, the upcoming feature to mention users will make it convenient for users to let only the concerned people see a Status. “This ensures that the interaction remains confidential between the user and the mentioned contact, as the mention is not visible to anyone else who views the status,” said the report. This also means that the mentioned users will always get a notification irrespective of the sender’s privacy settings for Status updates. The mentioned users, however, cannot see other Status updates due to specific privacy settings.

The report said the new mention feature is now available to some beta testers as part of the latest WhatsApp beta for Android version 2.24.203.3, available for download from the Google Play Store. WhatsApp has not said when it will roll out this feature, but users can expect it to be available in the upcoming updates for the stable channel.