A new button has been discovered in a WhatsApp beta. With this button, you will soon be able to directly notify people without sending them a message.
The messenger WhatsApp continually releases new functions that are ultimately intended to improve your user experience with the app and communication with your contacts. Some of these features then appear in the form of new buttons.
The fan blog WABetaInfo has discovered a new button for the status function in the WhatsApp beta for Android 2.24.20.3. As can be seen in the screenshot, a button with the “@” symbol appears in the bottom right during the creation of a status.
Target people specifically: Without writing to them
In the future, you will be able to directly link people in your status. They will then receive a message on their smartphone informing them that you have mentioned them in a status. So you can send notifications to others without chatting with them or writing to them. However, this link remains hidden from others.
The people you link can in turn share your status in their own status – again through a new “Reshare” button. According to WABetaInfo, this button should also ensure that contacts of people who share your status cannot contact you directly.
Mentions can also bypass visibility restrictions
With the new linking feature, privacy settings can also be bypassed – intentionally or accidentally. If you have generally denied a person access to your status updates, but explicitly link them in a status, this person will receive a notification and have access to this single status update. This means: You should only link people if you agree that they can see and share your status – despite previously set blocking.
According to WABetaInfo, the linking feature is currently available for some beta testers. Since it is in the “rollout” phase according to the fan blog, you can expect to receive the extension for the status feature soon – provided you use WhatsApp on an Android smartphone.