WhatsApp is expanding the Status feature with two major updates. Status Likes allow users to privately show appreciation for a status with a heart emoji, while Private Mentions enable users to tag specific contacts in their status updates.
This feature allows users to quickly express appreciation or approval for a status by using a heart emoji. When a user reacts, the recipient receives a notification, and all reactions are neatly organized in the viewers sheet alongside those who viewed the status. It appears that this feature is now available to a wider audience, as WhatsApp just shared new information.
WhatsApp is enhancing the Status feature by introducing Status Likes, making it easier for users to express their appreciation for someone’s update with a simple tap. The Status Like is represented by a heart emoji, which allows users to quickly show support or enjoyment of a friend or family member’s status. Unlike traditional social media platforms, WhatsApp’s Status Likes are private. This means that only the person who posted the status can see who liked it. Additionally, there is no like counter, so other people cannot see how many people liked the status update.
With the article covering the WhatsApp beta for Android 2.24.20.3 update, we also announced that a feature to mention contacts in status updates was available to some beta testers. Today, the official blog has also confirmed that this feature is being rolled out to a wider audience. Private mentions allow users to highlight specific contacts in their status updates, ensuring that these receive a notification and a private message when they’ve been mentioned. As the blog post explains, the mention remains hidden from other viewers of the status, maintaining privacy for both the sender and the recipient. In addition, mentioned contacts can easily reshare the status with their own audience while keeping the identity of the original creator confidential.
A status like reaction feature, along with the ability to mention contacts, is available to some users who install the latest updates of WhatsApp for Android from the Google Play Store and WhatsApp for iOS from the App Store, and it is rolling out to even more people over the coming weeks.
