WhatsApp has been discovered to be testing the ability to display Status updates from the Chats list. Users will be able to quickly check the status of their contacts thanks to the new addition, which is expected to boost the Status feature on the instant messaging app. WhatsApp has also been spotted working on a feature that will allow users to create group polls on the desktop. It would allow members of the group to vote for a specific option and view the total number of votes cast.

According to WABetaInfo, the instant messaging app owned by Facebook parent Meta is currently testing the ability to show users Status updates directly from their Chats list or when searching for any of their contacts within the app. According to the source, status updates will appear when the user taps the profile picture of their contact. This appears to be similar to how you can now view the Stories shared by the accounts you follow on Meta’s Instagram.

WhatsApp users will soon be able to showcase their Status updates directly through the Chats list. The screenshot has been taken from a future build of WhatsApp Desktop, though the same feature is said to be available to users on WhatsApp for Android and iOS releases. It is also likely to soon appear on a beta release of WhatsApp’s mobile clients.

WhatsApp’s Status feature has recently been spotted receiving quick reactions, allowing users to express their feelings about their contacts’ Status updates using eight different emojis.

According to WABetaInfo, WhatsApp’s new Desktop beta (version 2.2216.2) includes references to allowing users to create group polls, in addition to the ability to view status updates from the Chats list. Members of the group would be able to vote for their preferred option and see the total number of votes cast in a poll. Users, on the other hand, are unlikely to see who voted for which option.

WhatsApp was spotted testing group polls on iOS in March. Last month, it was also seen in some screenshots.

The exact date on which WhatsApp will make its group polls feature available to the general public is still unknown. Given its track record, bringing the feature to users may take some time, and it would be best to test it among beta testers first.

Separately, WABetaInfo reports that WhatsApp for Android beta 2.22.10.14 includes references to a new footer emphasising that personal messages on the app are end-to-end encrypted. The same footnote was spotted at the bottom of the call history section of WhatsApp for Android beta 2.22.8.7 released in March, informing users that calls on the app are end-to-end encrypted.