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WhatsApp to add Instagram-like 'Close Friends' feature to Status updates
06 Feb 2026

WhatsApp is working on a new feature called "Close Friends" for its Status updates.

The feature was spotted in the beta version of WhatsApp for Android (v2.26.5.13) by WABetaInfo.

The idea behind this innovative addition is to make sharing your thoughts and photos more personal and less stressful by allowing users to share certain updates with a select group of contacts, rather than all their contacts or changing privacy settings constantly.

How 'Close Friends' will work
User experience

The 'Close Friends' feature will let you create a list of contacts that you consider close friends. When posting a status, you can choose to share it only with this group.

You can manage your Close Friends list from either the status privacy settings or while posting a status update directly.

However, if someone has already viewed a status shared with your Close Friends list and is later removed from it, their view won't be undone.

Visual cues and custom contact lists
Visual cues

To avoid confusion, WhatsApp is also likely to visually differentiate these updates.

If you're on someone's Close Friends list, you may see a different colored ring around their profile photo.

This would indicate that the status was shared with a limited audience and not everyone.

The company is also testing custom contact lists for status updates, which would let users create multiple groups with custom names and emojis.

Wider implications for WhatsApp Status
Future release

Currently, the 'Close Friends' feature is still in development and not available to all users. There is no official word on when it will be widely rolled out.

However, if it comes as expected, it could make WhatsApp Status feel more like a private conversation than a broadcast.

This would certainly make posting updates less of a hassle for many users.