WhatsApp rolls out a new Contacts tab on Android beta

Reportedly, WhatsApp is bringing the Contacts tab to the bottom navigation bar on Android. The Contacts tab is said to replace the Communities tab. This new change was spotted in the WhatsApp beta for Android 2.26.45.2 update, available on the Google Play Store.

WhatsApp introduced a filter in the chat list that lets users access their communities without opening the tab. This filter makes the Communities tab of no use; as a result, the Communities tab is replaced with the Contacts tab.

At the top of the Contacts tab, favourite contacts marked by users are displayed. This section allows users to see and manage their pinned contacts as well. Below the favourite section, WhatsApp displays the contact list.

Users can sort the list to change how it appears. They can sort it by alphabetical order, birthdays, and activity. By selecting “activity”, users can see who is online at the top of the list, marked with a green dot. For contacts who are not online, WhatsApp sorts them by last seen. This information is visible only when the user shares their last seen and online status.

You can add a new contact by tapping the floating action button at the bottom right of the screen. This section still offers a feature to sync the new contact to the phone. However, WhatsApp can only sync contacts with a phone number to the address book on the device.

Apart from this, at the bottom of the contacts list, WhatsApp added a shortcut to open a conversation with Meta AI. Meta AI is always available, so the app will show the green dot over its icon. WhatsApp also added some shortcuts to share an invite link to other apps. Additionally, users can invite their followers on Instagram to chat with them on WhatsApp.

Availability

The Contacts tab is available to some beta users from the Google Play Store. The rest of the beta testers may get the update over the coming weeks. The stable release for this feature is not known yet.

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Check out more about this latest update below.

WhatsApp Events – Customisable Invites and Events Home Introduced

The updated Events feature allows users to create an event, add a cover photo, and share an invite link. Those receiving the link can view the event details and RSVP, even without a WhatsApp account or downloading the app.

About the new Events Home section, users can access it by heading to Settings → Events. It brings together past and upcoming events, including those users have created or been invited to, and offers a central place to create and send customised invites and manage RSVPs.

Custom reminders and an option to add a plus one are also part of the update, helping users manage their events and keep guests informed.

Notably, WhatsApp has also pointed out a few privacy measures for event invitations, such as user’s phone number will not be shown to guests they do not know, whereas guests without a WhatsApp account will only be able to see the event address after they RSVP.

Speaking more, the updated Events experience is rolling out to everyone over the coming weeks.

Stay tuned for more updates!

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Folks at @WABetaInfo have shared that WhatsApp is rolling out the profile cover photo feature for personal accounts to some Android beta testers.

WhatsApp rolling out the profile cover photo feature for personal profiles on Android beta

The profile cover photo feature was discovered with the WhatsApp beta for Android 2.26.43.11 update, which is available on the Google Play Store.  This feature allows personal accounts to enable the same customisation available on business accounts.

The cover photo appears as a landscape banner at the top of the profile page. The update does not replace the profile picture. The cover photo also appears at the top of the app settings, so users can see it every time they open this section. When users do not choose a cover photo, WhatsApp shows a default image until they set one.

How to set a cover photo?

To set a cover photo, tap the Edit button on your profile page. A menu will appear where users can choose how to set up the cover photo. Users can take a new photo, choose it from the gallery, or use Meta AI to generate one.

Once a photo is selected, WhatsApp will automatically crop it to fit the landscape format. WhatsApp gives users full control over who can see their cover photo: Everyone, My contacts, My contacts except and Nobody. The default option is “Everyone”, so any user can see the cover photo unless you change the setting.

The cover photo appears above the profile picture, the name, and the phone number. WhatsApp won’t show the cover photo in the chat info screen if privacy settings do not allow it.

It has not announced when this feature will be rolled out to all users.

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Read more about this latest update below.

WhatsApp – UPI Lite With Automatic Top-Ups

As per the details shared by tipster Abhishek Yadav, strings concerning this feature have been found in the ‘classes.dex’ code of WhatsApp’s stable version ‘2.26.42.74’, which reveals that users will be able to set up a top-up amount and a balance threshold for triggering an automatic top-up.

Speaking more, the strings suggest that users will be able to set up, pause, resume, and cancel automatic top-ups.

About its limits, one of the labels indicates that the top-up amount cannot exceed the authorised mandate amount. An automatic top-up will also be skipped if the daily limit has been reached or if adding the amount would exceed the UPI Lite wallet’s balance limit. Again, this limit will likely be set up by the user only.

Moreover, the code includes a condition to skip automatic top-ups if no UPI Lite wallet handle exists for the linked payment service provider.

These code references suggest that WhatsApp is preparing the feature, and more details regarding this feature are expected soon.

Stay tuned for more updates!

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Four new updates for Group Chats

• Pin messages for longer: You now have the option to keep important messages pinned forever, if you don’t want to choose a time limit up front.
• Send message history after someone joins a group: Previously, WhatsApp made it possible to share message history with new members via a toggle on or off. Now you can also send someone recent messages retroactively after they’ve joined a group just by tapping their name in the chat. Those messages stay end-to-end encrypted like all your personal chats.
• Share a group status with your group members: Group status makes it simple to share casual updates with specific groups. Everyone in the group can view, react, and add their own status, and just like regular statuses, they disappear after 24 hours.
• Filter by mentions and replies: A new chat filter that shows every unread group conversation where you were either mentioned or received a direct reply, including @all messages, so you can quickly catch up on the chats most relevant to you.

Apart from these new updates, there are some additional features that you can use in your group chats:

• Reply privately to one person in a group, so a side cha doesn’t derail the entire conversation.
• For when you need a definitive answer, try running off ‘allow multiple answers’ when making a poll.
• Member tags let you add a bit of context about who you are.

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WhatsApp is testing a new feature “Organizations”

Folks at @WABetaInfo have discovered Organizations feature in the WhatsApp beta for Android 2.26.43.1 update, which is available on the Google Play Store.

This new feature could give community admins better tools to manage large communities. It is revealed that Organization is a dedicated space that shows the organization name and a description. Admins can see the total number of members, as well as the ability to view the complete member list. Once admins tap “View all”, they will be able to see the full member list and which sub-groups they belong to.

Do note that Organizations and Communities are two different features. A community is a structure that brings related groups together, where members can join sub-groups and receive announcements from its admins. Meanwhile, an Organization is a layer on top of the community; it is a management tool for admins, so it is not something members will see or interact with.

Also, it is said that Organizations is simply an idea that WhatsApp is exploring to let admins manage their communities, and it is not close to a public release yet. It is still in very early stages of development.

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Today, WABetaInfo shared that WhatsApp is testing a redesigned chat bar for Android.

Redesigned chat bar being tested for WhatsApp Android

It was previously reported that WhatsApp is testing a redesigned bottom navigation bar, and now the company is said to be working on a new look for the chat bar on Android.

In the WhatsApp beta for Android 2.26.41.11 update, it was discovered that WhatsApp is developing a new chat bar that makes the conversation screen more modern. With this update, WhatsApp is said to be testing a redesigned chat bar with two different designs.

WhatsApp will move the text input to the top of the chat bar, right above the button that opens the emoji keyboard. The send button will no longer be a separate element outside the bar. The update makes the send button part of the bar, and it will keep the same circular style integrated into the layout.

WhatsApp still places the emoji button on the right side of the bar, while the left side of the bar is similar to what users already know from the current layout. The emoji, attachment, and camera buttons appear on the left side of the bar. The right side has only the send button.

WhatsApp has not announced the final design for the public release. It is said that the company may introduce further changes to the chat bar before it becomes available to the public.

The redesigned chat bar is currently under development on Android. The new chat bar is not available yet because WhatsApp has not enabled it for beta testers. The company is said to make the feature available to some users in the future.

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The same publication has now revealed that this feature was spotted in the WhatsApp beta for iOS.

WhatsApp is rolling out the Restricted Chat feature on iOS beta!

WhatsApp is introducing an important upgrade for the advanced chat privacy feature.https://t.co/3MGxfZ6iEQ pic.twitter.com/BPm1R6DJdE

— WABetaInfo (@WABetaInfo) October 2, 2026

Restricted chat feature on iOS beta

The feature was spotted in the WhatsApp beta for iOS 26.39.10.20 update, which is available on TestFlight. It is said that the feature is currently restricted to a limited number of beta users.

Users can restrict their conversations directly from the chat info screen. When users open the new screen, WhatsApp makes it easier to understand which restrictions the app applies before enabling the feature. Once you activate the toggle, WhatsApp applies four restrictions for everyone in the conversation who installs the latest version of WhatsApp.

At the moment, the feature is only available to individual chats. The four restrictions that Restricted Chat enables are:

• It is not possible to save media from the chat to the device gallery automatically.
• Users cannot export the conversation and use Meta AI features in the chat.
• Restricted chats add another layer of protection by preventing anyone in the conversation from accessing it through linked devices.
• The conversation is not available on linked devices, and any AI agent added by other people cannot read the messages in the chat.

Messages and calls are end-to-end encrypted, regardless of whether the feature is active or not. Only the people in the conversation can read or hear them.

The advanced chat privacy feature was optional, so users could enable it only when they needed this protection. With restricted chats, the feature is still optional, so it is up to the user to enable it.

As mentioned above, the feature is available to some users who install the latest update from TestFlight. Since WhatsApp is gradually rolling it out, some users may have to wait a little longer before they can enable the feature.

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As teenagers spend more time online, WhatsApp has announced new optional parental controls for teens.

coming soon: optional parental controls for teen on WhatsApp. parents can help manage privacy settings, get alerts about group activity, and decide how their teen uses Meta AI, Channels and Status. messages stay end-to-end encrypted.

— WhatsApp (@WhatsApp) September 30, 2026

New Parental Controls for Teens on WhatsApp

These are a set of optional and flexible tools that parents and teens can set up together.

• Parents will be able to choose the right privacy settings for their teen, like who can see their profile photo or add them to groups. If a teen wants to relax any of those settings, they’ll need their parent’s approval via a parent-set PIN.
• Parents are notified when their teen joins or leaves a group, or when a group their teen is in grows meaningfully in size.
• Parents will be able to choose how their teen can use Channels, whose Status updates they can see, and who can see theirs.
• Parents can also now decide on the Meta AI experience that’s right for their teen, which includes choosing between the default 13+ setting and a stricter ‘Limited Content’ option.

According to the WhatsApp blog, all of these controls are being designed to support open conversations about how to use WhatsApp between parents and teens, while keeping everyone’s personal messages private. Parental controls can be set up with a single PIN and clear alerts to keep parents in the loop, and they are entirely optional.

Even with controls turned on, your teen’s personal messages and calls stay private and protected by end-to-end encryption. Parents choose how much support their teen needs and can adjust or switch the controls off at any time. As per the company, these parental controls will be coming soon on the platform.

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WhatsApp now gets a native in-app Bill Payments experience powered by Bharat Connect (formerly known as BBPS) in India.

WhatsApp’s upgraded in-app Bill Payments

The previous bill payment included services like mobile recharges, metro transit ticketing and official citizen services delivered via automated chatbots.

Now the upgraded in-app service connects 22,722 billers across 30 categories, such as electricity, water, piped gas, FASTag recharges, insurance premiums, credit card bills and loan repayments.

Key features of the in-app Bill Payments service:

• Pre-Fetched bill summaries: The platform automatically retrieves upcoming dues for linked accounts. Biller details from previous transactions are stored on the Payments Home Screen for recurring access.
• Multi-Account Management: Users can link and track multiple consumer accounts under a single provider.
• Payment flexibility: Supported payment methods include UPI, debit cards and credit cards.
• Categorised Discovery: Frequently used categories are highlighted on the main payments screen, alongside a directory providing access to the remaining categories.

How to make an in-app Bill Payment?

• Open WhatsApp and tap the rupee icon at the top of the home screen.
• Choose the relevant bill category and specific provider
• Enter and confirm the required consumer or account identifier
• Verify the auto-fetched bill details and outstanding amount
• Select a preferred payment method
• Authorise and complete the transaction

Availability

The feature is rolling out on a gradual basis across India and is scheduled to reach all Android and iOS users over the coming weeks.

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