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No one else will know who you show your status to#

January 23, 2026

New features in WA

Greetings to everyone following WhatsApp! This week, privacy and personalization trends in WhatsApp converged on one point: your profile. Key updates revolve around new ways to express yourself and fine-grained control over who sees what. The messenger also continues to refine the convenience of everyday communication.

Table of Contents#

Personal Profile Covers#

WhatsApp is working on a feature that will add covers to personal profiles.

How it will work#

Users will be able to set a wide cover photo at the top of their profile, similar to what is already available for business accounts. The image can be selected from the gallery and changed at any time without affecting the main profile photo.

Why it's needed#

This is a powerful new tool for self-expression. A cover photo allows you to express your interests, mood, or style much more than a profile photo alone, making your digital image unique and memorable.

Status#

This feature is currently in active development for iOS. It is expected to be available for Android users in the future.

Smart Sticker Suggestions While Typing#

WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that suggests stickers as users type messages.

How it will work#

Just start typing emoji in the message bar, and WhatsApp will instantly suggest matching stickers from your packs. The system analyzes the meaning of the emoji and displays the most relevant visual reactions, saving time on manual searches.

Why it's needed#

This feature is designed to make communication faster and more expressive. It eliminates unnecessary steps, allowing you to reply with a sticker that perfectly matches your message with a single tap.

Status#

This feature is being tested for iOS. Similar functionality on Android is in the later stages of testing.

Access Key for Chats by Username#

WhatsApp is working on a feature that will require a username when starting a chat for the first time.

How it will work#

The owner of the account with the username will be able to set a secret access key. The first time a conversation with them is initiated, the sender will be asked to enter this key. Without this key, the chat cannot be created.

Why it's needed#

This is the highest level of privacy control in the new username system. You can share your username publicly, but only those to whom you've personally given the key will be able to communicate with you. This effectively protects against spam and unwanted contacts.

Status#

This feature is in development for Android and is part of the global rollout of the username system planned for this year.

Privacy Settings for Profile Covers#

WhatsApp is working on a feature that will allow users to manage cover photo privacy settings.

How it will work#

You can flexibly customize the viewing audience for your new profile cover, similar to the "Last seen" or profile photo settings: "Everyone," "My contacts," "My contacts except...," and "Nobody."

Why it's needed#

This is to give users complete control. You can be creative with your cover photo, confident that only those you really want to see it, or, conversely, make it your public calling card.

Status#

This feature is in development for iOS. It will be a logical addition to the core cover photo feature.

Improved and Clean Link Previews#

WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that displays clearer link previews.

How it will work#

When you share a link with a preview, only the key elements, such as the protocol, domain name, and website icon, are now displayed, rather than long, cumbersome URLs. The full URL can be viewed by tapping the domain in the message.

Why it's needed#

This feature is designed to make your conversations appear neater and to make important information in the link (the website from which it originates) instantly legible. This improves the visual perception of the chat.

Status#

This feature has already begun rolling out globally and is available to many WhatsApp for iOS users from the App Store.

Viewing Privacy Settings for Your Statuses#

WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that displays the privacy settings applied to status updates.

How it will work#

In the status view menu (in the "Statuses" section), an "Audience" option will appear. Tapping it will show you the specific audience (for example, "All contacts except colleagues") and the forwarding permissions for that specific status.

Why it's needed#

This is to avoid confusion and privacy errors. Now you can easily check whether you've accidentally sent a private status to the wrong people and decide whether to keep it or delete it.

Status#

This feature is available to some beta testers on WhatsApp for Android.

Conclusion#

WhatsApp places a strong emphasis on privacy and identity. While it offers powerful tools for self-presentation, each of these tools is immediately complemented by precise visibility settings. Messenger is becoming not only more convenient, but also much more personalized and secure.

At GREEN-API, we monitor all WhatsApp updates to provide you with the latest news and solutions for automating your business processes. Stay tuned to stay up-to-date with all the latest developments!