WhatsApp for Android now allows you to mention other users in status updates

September 17 (Portaltic/EP) –

WhatsApp has begun rolling out a new version of its Android app that allows users to mention others in status updates, tags that are not displayed on the shared content but are only visible to the people mentioned.

Status updates came to the service developed by Meta in 2017, when it began allowing users to share photos, videos or GIFs, which have been used ever since are displayed on the platform for 24 hours. Once this period has expired, they disappear.

Currently, WhatsApp allows you to add both stickers and text to these contents, as well as edit them with the pencil tool with different stroke thicknesses. It is also possible to publish several statuses at once and configure their privacy.

In March of this year, WABetaInfo warned that WhatsApp was rolling out an update through the Google Play Beta Program for Android devices, which included a new feature related to Statuses.

Specifically, version 2.24.6.19, which was accessed by the app’s testers, allowed people to be privately tagged in status updates. This functionality has now begun its global deployment with version 2.24.20.3, available through the Google Play Store on Android.

This portal, which has accessed this option, has indicated that WhatsApp has incorporated a button to mention other users, located in the bottom bar from the States interface and represented by the at sign (‘@’) icon.

Once a contact is mentioned in a piece of content, they will receive a notification informing them that they have been tagged in an ephemeral piece of content. This, however, is private, so other people viewing the video or image will not be able to see who has been mentioned, so ensure that the interaction is confidential between the user and his contact.

WABetaInfo also said that the mentioned contacts will always receive the status update, regardless of the sender’s privacy settings. Even if the mentioned contact cannot see other status updates due to specific privacy settings, they will still be able to view those statuses.

Also, just like on Instagram, tagged people will be able to share those status updates with their own contacts, to expand the reach of the content. In this case, the identity of the original creator will remain hidden.

This feature is already available to some beta testers who install the latest WhatsApp update for Android. The final version for the rest of users will arrive on devices with this operating system in the coming weeks.