WhatsApp New Features 2026: The way of searching for contacts and starting conversations with them may soon change on the world's popular messaging platform WhatsApp. The company is testing a new Contacts Tab for Android users. With its help, users will be able to see which of their friends are online, with whom they talk the most and which contact's birthday is coming up. Apart from this, there will also be Meta AI and easy options for adding new contacts. Currently, this feature is being made available to selected beta users.

WhatsApp's interface will change, with a separate space for contacts.

WhatsApp is constantly working on new features to make its mobile app more convenient. To that end, the company has begun testing a new Contacts tab in beta version 2.26.45.2 for Android.

According to a report by WABetaInfo, this new section is being added to the navigation bar at the bottom of the app. Interestingly, during testing, it replaced the Communities tab.

Currently, searching for someone on WhatsApp typically requires starting a new chat. With the new tab, the contact list can be opened directly from the app's main interface.

This change can benefit those who interact with a large number of friends, family members and office colleagues every day.

You will get instant information about who is online.

One of the most useful features of the new Contacts Tab is organizing contacts based on their online status.

According to the report, users will be able to see at the top of the list those people who are online on WhatsApp at that time by selecting the Activity Sorting option.

A green dot will appear next to the profile photo of an online contact, allowing users to see who is currently active on the app without opening the chat.

People who are not online can be sorted by their Last Seen information. However, this feature will depend on the individual's privacy settings.

It's important to note that appearing online doesn't necessarily mean the other person will respond to your message immediately.

No need to search for favorite people again and again

WhatsApp's new section will prioritize Favorite Contacts. The names of people a user has added to their favorite contacts list will appear at the top.

This can make it easier to reach family members, close friends, or important office contacts.

Apart from this, the facility to organize contacts in different ways is also being tested.

These new features can be found in the WhatsApp Contacts Tab.

The new option will also help you remember birthdays.

The feature of Birthday Sorting is also being included in this update of WhatsApp.

This will allow contacts to be organized by their birthdays, making it easier for users to view birthday information for friends and acquaintances.

For those who prefer to view their contact list in the traditional way, alphabetical sorting will be available. This will allow you to search for contacts by initials.

You can add a new contact directly from WhatsApp

The new Contacts Tab will not only allow you to view previously saved numbers, but will also simplify the process of adding new people.

According to the report, it could include a floating action button. This button will allow users to open the option to add a new contact.

While adding a contact, you can get options to enter information like first name, last name, username and mobile number.

Apart from this, the facility of saving contacts with phone numbers in the mobile's address book can also be provided.

The company is also working on a way to share WhatsApp invite links through other apps. The report also mentions a potential feature to invite people connected to Instagram to WhatsApp.

However, the final availability of all these options will be clear only after the official release.

Meta AI can also be easier to use

WhatsApp is working towards making its AI assistant Meta AI easily accessible from different parts of the app.

The new Contacts tab is reportedly including a shortcut to Meta AI. This could reduce the need for users to navigate through different menus to access the AI ​​assistant.

Meta AI can be used to ask general questions, retrieve information, and other supported AI features.

Will anyone be able to see your online status now?

After the information about the new feature comes out, questions regarding privacy may arise in the minds of users.

However, according to the report, WhatsApp's existing privacy settings will be followed to show online status and last seen in the Contacts tab.

If a person has hidden their online status, other users will not see the green online sign next to their name.

Similarly, Last Seen information will also be available only if the privacy settings of the concerned person allow it.

Users can review their current settings by going to WhatsApp's Settings section, then Privacy, and then Last Seen and Online options.

When will the new Contacts Tab be available on all Android phones?

Currently, WhatsApp's new Contacts Tab has not been released for all users.

This feature is being made available to select testers associated with the Google Play Beta Programme in Android Beta Version 2.26.45.2.

The company is testing this in a phased manner, so it's possible that two users using the same beta version might see the feature one day, while the other might have to wait.

WhatsApp has not yet confirmed when the new Contacts Tab will be released for general Android users.

What should regular WhatsApp users do now?

Those who are using the stable version of WhatsApp will have to wait for the new Contacts Tab for now.

It's helpful to keep the app updated from the Google Play Store, but updating alone doesn't guarantee you'll get this testing feature.

Until the new section is available, users can search for their contacts from the New Chat option as before.

If the testing is successful and the company releases this feature on a wider scale, contact management on WhatsApp could become more convenient than before.

Conclusion: WhatsApp's proposed Contacts tab could prove to be a useful change for users who chat with many people daily. Having options like online status, favorite contacts, birthday sorting, and Meta AI all in one place could improve the app experience. However, this is currently a beta feature, and an official announcement regarding its final form and launch date is awaited.