New WhatsApp features seem to drop on a near weekly basis, with a steady flow of enhanced messaging options keeping the app fresh.
Now, however, the Facebook-owned messenger is flip-flopping on a recent move, rolling back one of its biggest updates in years – status visibility.
Although the service recently added Snapchat ‘stories’ inspired statuses, allowing users to record short, disposable video clips, its arrival coincided with the ousting of traditional text statuses.
Having been available since day one, these text status updates let users tag their profile with notifications such as ‘at work’ or ‘battery about to die’. With the arrival of the latest features, however, they were unceremoniously removed.
Following a backlash from users, WhatsApp is about to perform a U-turn and bring back the longstanding text option.
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“We heard from our users that people missed the ability to set a persistent text-only update in their profile, so we’ve integrated this feature into the ‘About’ section in profile settings,” an official WhatsApp spokesperson said.
“Now, the update will appear next to profile names anytime you view contacts, such as when creating a new chat or looking at Group info.”
Despite the return of text-based status updates, the new Stories inspired features will remain, letting users pick between the old and the new.
“We’re continuing to build on the new Status feature that gives people fun and engaging ways to share photos, videos and GIFs with their friends and family throughout their day,” the company added.
So, when will you see the return of text statuses on your phone? Well, you’ve not got long left to wait.
Already available in the app’s beta release, WhatsApp has confirmed the user favourite will make a reappearance on the Android edition of the service next week, with the iPhone update to drop ‘soon’.
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What other lost WhatsApp features do you want back? Let us know below.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
