It is a subtle shift for iPhone owners: a live green dot to mark an online status. WABetaInfo has it that the same kind of indicator was first put to the test on Android last month. It is a limited, no-nonsense feature that has some talking about how much of a presence it should have.
What changed and why it matters
You do not have to open a chat to see if someone is on. A small green circle does the job, giving a quick read on availability and taking some of the guesswork out of whether to make a call or send a message.
But there is a catch to the convenience. You will only find the dot in the Contact Info view; it is not in your chats list or tab.
Where the green dot shows up
Go to a contact’s profile and check the bottom-right of their picture. A bright green circle is there if they are on, and it is gone the moment they are not. It is all in real time.
According to WABetaInfo, for now the display is confined to the screen you get to by tapping a photo.
Privacy rules remain unchanged
The dot is bound by the same rules as Last Seen and online status. Should a user have put a wall up to hide those, the green dot is hidden too. It is a matter of visual clarity, not of opening up who can see what you are doing.
Who gets it today
The Meta-owned app is in the middle of a trial with a handful of beta users. WABetaInfo found the work in progress on version 26.26.10.72 of the iOS beta, and later on 26.26.19.72.
As for a date for the rest of us, there is nothing on the table yet. What we see may well be refined before it is more widely available.
Real-world impact for regular users
In the course of a day, with work groups and the like, a sign of where a person is at can be useful. It is one way to hold off on an urgent text if they are clearly not on, or to ring them while they are.
Then again, having to go into Contact Info for it takes some of the edge off. An indicator right in the list would be more of a timesaver.
Here is the rundown:
– Only in Contact Info for now
– Real-time updates
– No dot when the contact is off
– Tied to your Last Seen settings
– A beta-only affair at the moment
Username plan faces a separate review
On another front, WhatsApp has put forward the idea of usernames so you can be identified without putting a phone number out there. In theory, it is a step up for privacy.
Not without some pushback, though. With worries over phishing and the like, the government has called for a look at the proposal before it is let loose.
What comes next
Two things are up in the air with the green dot: its place in the app and when it will be for everyone. At present, it is a sight for some on Android and iOS, and there is no word from WhatsApp on a release.
The company seems to be moving at a measured pace. If the test goes further than just the Contact Info page, it could be a no-fuss addition to the way we message.
