WhatsApp could soon make it easy for users to simplify their contacts on the platform by introducing a new Contacts tab. According to WABetaInfo, WhatsApp is rolling out a new Contacts tab in the Android beta.
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.
