WhatsApp May Soon Let You Reply to Status Messages, Mute Them

The WhatsApp Status Message feature seems set for a major overhaul, with hints of the same appearing on the beta versions of the messaging app across platforms. Now, the latest Windows Phone beta version shows that the Facebook-owned company looks to bring new functionalities with the improved Status section. A fresh leak hints that WhatsApp will let you mute and unmute status notifications for specific users, and even let you view the mute list if required. The new WhatsApp Status Message will also let you reply to your contacts' status messages, a feature that seems to be borrowed from Snapchat Stories. 

WABetaInfo, a WhatsApp beta watcher, shared screenshots of WhatsApp beta for Windows Phone 2.17.40+ with the button to mute/unmute status alerts. Once muted, the statuses of those contacts won't show up in your Status section (a feature that is expected to arrive soon). You won't get push notifications for these users whenever they change their WhatsApp statuses as well. Of course, you will be able to reverse your decision when you feel like it, and can even go to a dedicated mute list just to scan those unwanted statuses if you wish to.

The tipster also claims that you'll be able to reply to WhatsApp statuses as well, and have a conversation, just like on Snapchat Stories. This ability is seen in WhatsApp beta for Windows Phone 2.17.44+ version. The mute ability was also seen on WhatsApp beta for Android 2.17.46 version as well.

The new WhatsApp Statuses has been cropping up on many versions of Android and iOS as well. The feature is essentially looking to notify users when one of their contacts changes their status message. However, there are a lot of improvements coming for the WhatsApp Status feature, most notably the push notification, and the ability to delete the status in 24 hours. The WhatsApp Android version is tipped to get a separate tab for Statuses, joining the existing Chats, Calls, and Contacts tab.