WhatsApp has unveiled a new feature that will radically change the profile experience with its latest beta version, version 2.25.25.17, released for Android. This innovation, currently in development, will allow users to set an expiration date for short notes they write in the “About Me” section.

How will WhatsApp’s new feature work?

Currently, notes you write in the “About Me” section, such as “Available,” “Busy,” or a personal statement, remain permanently on your profile until you manually change them. With the new feature, you’ll be able to assign an expiration date to a note when adding it to this section. For example:

• You’ll be able to select preset expiration times, such as one day or one week.
• More importantly, you can set the exact expiration date for your status with a “custom expiration date” option.

This way, temporary statuses like “I’m on vacation” or “I’m in a meeting” will be automatically removed from your profile when they expire, even if you forget about them. This will ensure profiles are always up-to-date, preventing the sharing of misinformation.

One of the most striking aspects of the feature is that these temporary statuses won’t just appear on your profile page. Your new status will also appear in the top app bar, directly below a contact’s name, in your chat screen. This will make your status updates much more visible and interactive.

WhatsApp is also prioritizing privacy when developing this feature. Your temporary status will appear in accordance with your existing privacy settings. This means that if you’ve previously specified who can see your “About Me” information, only those people will be able to see these temporary statuses. Of course, users will still have the freedom to manually update or remove their statuses whenever they want.

It’s important to note that the feature is still in development, and it’s unclear when it will be available to all users.