We’re not sure why, but when WhatsApp introduced its new Stories-like “Status” feature, they got rid of the good old text statuses as well. Given that some people prefer to keep a status around for more than 24 hours, or who would rather not upload photos or videos all the time, this was a good alternative, but for some reason it was removed.However in a previous report, it was revealed that text statuses could be making a return as it was spotted in the Android beta. For those wondering about it, you’ll be pleased to learn that those text status messages have been confirmed to make their return. This was confirmed by WhatsApp to TechCrunch who revealed that it will be returning in a new form in the “About Status” section.
Unfortunately this feature will only be making its way to Android first and is expected to roll out in the next week or so, but it is also expected to eventually find its way onto the iPhone as well. When exactly that will be remains to be seen, but we doubt that WhatsApp will be neglecting iOS users for too long.
According to a statement from WhatsApp, “We heard from our users that people missed the ability to set a persistent text-only update in their profile, so we’ve integrated this feature into the ‘About’ section in profile settings. Now, the update will appear next to profile names anytime you view contacts, such as when creating a new chat or looking at Group info.”