The social media platform WhatsApp is developing a new feature that would give users more control over who can see their status updates. The feature is termed ‘Custom Audience Controls’, expected to allow users to create custom audience lists, making it easier to share updates with specific groups rather than individual contacts.
Status privacy
At present, WhatsApp offers limited privacy options for status sharing. Currently, the users can share updates with all contacts, hide them from selected people, or choose a small group of contacts manually.
While these settings work for many users, they can be inconvenient for those who want to share different updates with different groups. The new feature aims to address that gap by allowing users to organise contacts into separate lists.
These lists could include groups such as close friends, family members or colleagues. When posting a status, users would simply choose the relevant list instead of selecting contacts each time.
Feature developing
The custom audience option is still being developed and is not yet available to the public. It may first appear in beta versions of WhatsApp before being rolled out more widely. WhatsApp typically tests new features with a limited number of users to identify technical issues before releasing them globally. Part of a Wider Focus on Privacy
The move reflects WhatsApp’s ongoing focus on privacy and user control. In recent years, the platform has introduced tools such as disappearing messages, chat locks and expanded settings for online visibility. It remains unclear whether custom audience lists will be available to all users or will be available only for paid features. For many users, the update could make status sharing simpler and more comfortable by allowing greater control over personal content.
Also read: WhatsApp set to launch ‘close friends’ feature for improved privacy
