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Why a green dot appears next to your WhatsApp contacts
🇲🇽 Mexico /Technology

Why a green dot appears next to your WhatsApp contacts

From El Universal · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Ongoing story
  • WhatsApp is testing a new feature that displays a green dot next to contacts who are online.
  • The indicator appears in the contact's profile information, showing their real-time activity.
  • Users who prefer privacy will have the option to disable this green dot in their settings.

WhatsApp is reportedly testing a new feature that introduces a green dot next to contacts' profile pictures, signaling their online availability. This indicator, currently visible in the chat information screen at the bottom corner of a user's profile photo, aims to show real-time activity.

According to WABetaInfo, the dot appears when a user is active on the app and disappears when they log off or close it. However, the feature does not show up on the chat list or within conversations. Currently, this function is available only to select beta testers on iOS.

For users concerned about privacy, WhatsApp is also developing an option to disable this green dot. The steps to deactivate it involve navigating to WhatsApp's Privacy settings, then to 'Last Seen & Online,' and selecting 'Nobody.' Users can also disable read receipts from the same privacy menu. While an official release date is not yet set, the green dot could serve as a useful indicator for users wanting to know when their contacts are available to chat.

DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by El Universal in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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