WhatsApp Begins Testing Green Dot Online Indicator on iOS
Last month, we reported that WhatsApp was testing a green dot indicator on Android to show when a contact is online. Now, Meta’s messaging platform has started rolling out this feature on iOS as well.
The discovery comes from WABetaInfo, who spotted the feature in beta version 26.26.10.72 of WhatsApp for iOS.
If you’re a WhatsApp beta user on iOS with the latest version installed, you’ll notice a small green circle at the bottom-right of a contact’s profile picture in the “Contact Info” screen. The indicator works in real-time — the green circle disappears when the contact goes offline.
Privacy First
WABetaInfo reports that the Contact Info screen is currently the only place where the green dot appears. In our view, it would have been more useful if WhatsApp also displayed it in the chats list and the main Chats tab.
Importantly, WhatsApp applies the same privacy rules to the green dot as it does to last seen and online status. If a user has chosen to hide their online status from others, the green dot won’t appear for them either.
This feature is currently available only to select beta testers on both Android and iOS. It’s unclear when WhatsApp plans to roll it out publicly to all users, but the cross-platform beta testing suggests a wider release may not be too far off.
