Overview
- Selected users in unspecified regions can now see and share Status updates with numbers they recently messaged, called, or otherwise interacted with, even if those numbers are not saved, on Android, iOS, and the web.
- Some users are noticing unfamiliar updates in the Status tab; unsaved posters are shown with their phone number and a ~ marker, and their updates can be muted or hidden.
- Default settings may behave differently, as “My contacts” can now include recent interlocutors who are not saved; restricting viewers requires using “Only share with…” in privacy settings.
- Eligibility for these shares is determined from recent interactions stored locally on the user’s device, and the app does not store these unsaved numbers on WhatsApp’s servers.
- WhatsApp is developing a close friends list for selective sharing, and WABetaInfo reports usernames could arrive later in 2026 to further separate identity from phone numbers.