WhatsApp tests a new green dot on iPhone to show which contacts are active at that moment

According to WaBetaInfoWhatsApp has begun to deploy in its beta for iPhone a new activity indicator with which users will be able to know more quickly if a contact is online at that moment. The novelty appears in version 26.26.10.72 distributed through TestFlight and, for now, it is gradually reaching some iOS testers.

The function consists of a small green dot that appears over the contact’s photo when that person is active within WhatsApp. The system updates in real time, so the point disappears as soon as the user is no longer active in the application. Of course, WhatsApp maintains here the same privacy rules that it already applies in other sections. If a contact has their online status hidden, that green dot will not be displayed.

Curiously, the company has not brought this indicator to the entire interface, at least for now. As detected by the same media, the green dot only appears within the chat information screenthat is, in the tab that opens when you click on the contact’s name at the top of a conversation. It is not visible in the general chat list or within the conversation as a permanent element, something that indicates that WhatsApp is introducing this visual clue in a fairly contained way.

The change somewhat replaces the traditional text under the profile photo that allowed you to see if a contact was online. With this, WhatsApp now opts for a simpler and faster signal to interpret. The idea is to make a person’s availability more evident before sending a message, but without altering the main screen of the app too much.

A small change that fits with other recent developments

In recent weeks we have seen the arrival of usernames, a feature with which WhatsApp attempts to modernize its identity system within the platform and reduce dependence on the phone number as the only visible identifier. Now, what’s new is this green dot that helps quickly identify online contacts.

WABetaInfo also relates this novelty to a future contacts section within WhatsApp, a kind of hub from which the app could show which people are active or have recently been online. In that scenario, the green dot would serve as the base piece of a broader experience. That’s why it wouldn’t be strange if it ended up appearing in other sections of the application later, such as the chat list itself or a future tab dedicated to contacts.

On the other hand, the fact that this novelty arrives gradually is something very normal. In fact, it is the general trend in WhatsApp launches. First, it limits the novelty to beta users, measures the users’ reaction, and only then decides whether to expand its presence within the app. It is the same logic that is being seen with other improvements, including future voice calls in its web version, with which Meta seeks to gradually bring all platforms closer to a more homogeneous experience.

For now, WhatsApp has not yet announced when it will reach all users. Meanwhile, the deployment confirms that the application continues to refine interface details on iPhone while expanding functions in other environments, from WhatsApp Web to its new identity and contact tools.