WhatsApp Is Testing Custom Lists for Status Updates After Close Friends

Photo Credit: WABetaInfo

Features and Custom Contact Lists

The new system lets users create different lists for status updates, each with a distinct name, set of contacts and an emoji icon for quick recognition. These curated lists are meant to reduce the need to adjust privacy settings every time someone shares a status update.

One of these lists mirrors Instagram’s approach and is called “Close friends”. Users first decide which contacts belong in this list, then share status updates only with those chosen names. The app aims to remove confusion and limit accidental sharing with contacts who were not meant to see a particular update.

Privacy Controls

WhatsApp allows two routes to manage the “Close friends” list. People can pick contacts from the status privacy settings screen, or they can open the status interface and change the list from there. Both methods give the same end result but suit different usage habits.

Meta also allows contacts to be added or removed from “Close friends” whenever needed, though changes do not work retroactively. If a status is shared with a list and someone is removed later, that person will still be able to view that earlier update, even after removal.

Alongside “Close friends”, WhatsApp includes three other privacy choices for status sharing, giving users more control over visibility. Once a status is posted, contacts chosen for that update will notice different coloured rings around the profile picture of the person who shared it, showing how the status was shared.

The feature expands WhatsApp’s status tools beyond simple broadcast-style updates, letting people mirror the way they already use Instagram’s close friends list. As the option is still under development, broader availability will depend on Meta’s testing and future WhatsApp versions.