Overview
- WhatsApp has begun a limited iOS beta test of a small green dot that marks when a contact is actively using the app in the latest TestFlight build 26.26.10.72.
- The green dot appears only on a contact’s Contact/Chat info screen next to the profile photo and replaces the previous textual 'online' label in that view.
- The indicator updates in real time by showing while a user is active and disappearing the moment they leave the app.
- WhatsApp applies the same privacy controls to the dot as to 'last seen' and online status so users who hide that information will not display the green dot, and the company has not given a date for a wider public release.
- The iOS test follows an earlier Android trial and ties into a planned Contacts hub that could expand the dot to other parts of the app, a change that may shift how people check availability before messaging.