WhatsApp is reportedly working on a new feature for Android that could completely change how users check who’s available to chat.
The upcoming “Contacts Hub” will make it easier to see which friends and contacts are online without opening multiple individual chats.
For many users, finding out if someone is available can be time-consuming opening chats one by one, checking for the “online” label, and then deciding whether to start a conversation. WhatsApp’s new hub aims to simplify this process, saving time and making messaging far more intuitive.
In the beta version (2.26.13.3), the hub displays a live list of contacts currently online. Users can sort contacts by name or online status.
When sorted by status, the most recently active contacts appear at the top, followed by others based on last-seen time. This allows users to quickly identify who is actively online without repeatedly opening chats.
The hub also suggests contacts that users frequently interact with but haven’t saved yet, prioritizing real conversation patterns rather than generic recommendations.
Privacy remains a priority. Users who have hidden their last-seen status will only appear if they’re actively online, and those who have disabled online visibility will not show up at all. The feature respects all current privacy settings, ensuring convenience without compromising security.
This Contacts Hub builds on WhatsApp’s previous improvements, including group activity indicators, and moves the platform closer to professional-level presence awareness like Slack or Microsoft Teams but for everyday personal chats.
The feature is still under development, with beta testing expected in the coming weeks and a wider release to follow. WhatsApp users are encouraged to keep their apps updated to try the new feature as soon as it arrives.
