WhatsApp brings Status updates to the top of Chats

WhatsApp is moving Status updates into the Chats tab for some beta testers, putting recent 24-hour posts at the top of the main chat list instead of keeping them only in Updates. The new surface is compact, shows only a few recent contacts at first glance, and is meant to surface Status earlier in the app’s main workflow. The full Status experience still lives in the Updates tab, which remains the complete hub for previews and the full contact list.

Status updates move into the Chats tab

The change gives Status a more prominent place inside WhatsApp’s inbox. Instead of being confined to the separate Updates tab, recent status posts now appear above chats in a smaller tray, so users can see them without switching tabs. WhatsApp’s existing Updates tab is not going away; it still holds the full Status view, including the broader set of previews and contacts.

For WhatsApp Status, the company’s 24-hour ephemeral posting format, that puts posts closer to the main chat workflow. Business users who rely on Status for time-sensitive updates can surface those posts in the inbox where daily attention already goes.

A compact tray with ranked contacts

The Chats-tab version is tighter than the full Updates screen. It shows up to three recent contacts at once, with more status entries available by scrolling. In practice, that makes the surface feel like a quick access row rather than a full gallery.

WhatsApp is also ranking the tray by relevance and interaction patterns, which means the people users engage with most should appear first. The tray is not limited to active conversations either: status updates from archived contacts and from people without an open chat can also show up. That widens visibility beyond the threads already sitting in the main inbox.

Limited beta rollout on Android and iOS

For now, the feature is limited to some beta testers and is rolling out gradually. WhatsApp beta for Android 2.26.17.1 is tied to the rollout, and earlier Android beta 2.26.11.2 plus an iOS TestFlight reference also point to the same feature. That suggests the change is moving through different test builds rather than arriving everywhere at once.

Availability is still uneven across platforms and builds. It is not yet clear whether the Chats-tab tray appears persistently or only after a pull-down gesture on some versions, and it is also unclear whether Android and iOS are at the same stage. The new Chats-tab tray is an additional surface, not a replacement for Status in Updates.

Disclaimer: This article was created with the assistance of AI. Images are for illustrative purposes only.