WhatsApp is bringing the good-old text status back as it has been spotted in the beta version of the app for Android. The feature was removed after the company introduced the ephemeral WhatsApp Status, similar to Snapchat Stories, in the app in February. But it clearly hasn't worked out as expected as users demanded the text-based status ever since.
By popular demand, WhatsApp is bringing back the old status feature, which would allow users to choose from the predefined statuses like Busy, Available, or create an own one. The biggest advantage of the text feature is that it won't disappear after 24 hours.
Several users criticised WhatsApp's decision to replace the new status with the old one, which made it difficult to keep updating after every 24 hours while travelling or simply busy. By bringing back the old status feature while keeping the new one gives users the choice to whether or not they want to share images and videos as status.
WhatsApp Android beta version 2.17.95 will give users instant access to the old status even before it is officially rolled out. But users will need to sign up for WhatsApp beta community in Google Play to do so.
Once the new update is rolled out publicly, users will be able to find the old text status option under Settings and the About section where you can see your phone number. All the predefined statuses will be retrieved and users can the privacy of the text status under the same menu.
The beta version of the app doesn't seem to show a contacts tab, which has also been requested by many users for its ease-of-access. We'll just have to wait and see what changes WhatsApp will bring in the future. There is no set date for the public release of the updated version, but it is likely to be soon.
