WhatsApp is testing a genuinely useful tweak that could make it much easier to tell when someone is available to chat.
The new feature was first spotted by WABetaInfo in WhatsApp beta version 26.26.10.72 for iOS. Once enabled, a small green dot appears in the bottom-right corner of a contact’s profile picture on the Contact info page whenever that person is online.
The indicator updates in real time, so it disappears as soon as the contact goes offline. It’s a subtle addition, but one that saves you from guessing whether someone is currently active before sending a message.
At the moment, however, there’s one notable limitation. The green dot only appears after you open a contact’s profile by tapping their photo, rather than appearing in the main chats list or the Chats tab. There, it would arguably be far more useful for quickly seeing who’s online.
The feature also respects WhatsApp’s existing privacy controls. If someone has chosen to hide their Last Seen and Online status, the green dot won’t appear for other users either. In other words, it’s designed to reflect the same visibility rules that already apply to WhatsApp’s online status.
It’s a relatively minor update, but one that fits with WhatsApp’s recent focus on refining the overall messaging experience. Instead of adding headline-grabbing features, the company is prioritising these small tweaks. Sometimes it’s the small quality-of-life improvements that end up being the most useful in day-to-day conversations.
For now, the green online indicator is only available to a limited number of beta testers on both iOS and Android. WhatsApp hasn’t said when it plans to roll the feature out more widely, but testing on both platforms suggests a broader release may not be too far away.
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