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WhatsApp is reportedly developing a dedicated Contacts tab for Android. It would gather your full contact list in one section, with search, sorting, online indicators, birthday reminders, and invitations. The feature is still in development. It is not a general release, and WhatsApp has not announced a launch date.
What has been reported
On October 7, 2026, WABetaInfo, a site that tracks WhatsApp beta builds, reported that it had seen a Contacts tab in WhatsApp beta for Android 2.26.40.3. According to that report, the feature is under development and was not yet open to beta testers. GSMArena covered the same feature on October 8, 2026, and credited WABetaInfo as its source. Both reports describe a feature in progress rather than a finished product.
No official WhatsApp announcement confirming the tab was found in the coverage reviewed. Everything described below therefore comes from beta reporting, and the details could change before any public release.
What the reported tab would contain
The reports describe the tab as a single place for the full contact list. The functions attributed to it are:
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- Search by name, phone number, or username.
- Sorting alphabetically or by activity.
- Online indicator, a green dot beside contacts who are currently online.
- Birthday reminders drawn from birthdays stored in the phone’s address book.
- Invite option for inviting people who are not yet on WhatsApp.
Each of these is a reported behaviour, not a documented one. The tab’s placement, labels, and exact controls may differ in a release.
How privacy settings would shape what appears
The reporting says a contact’s own privacy choices would decide what you see. A contact who hides their online status would not receive the green online indicator. A contact who has turned off last seen would not appear in a list sorted by recent activity.
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This matters for interpreting the tab. An empty or missing green dot would not necessarily mean a contact is offline. It could mean that person has limited what they share. WhatsApp has not published documentation of this behaviour for the unreleased tab, so treat it as the reported design.
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The reports cover Android only. Nothing in the coverage reviewed supports a claim of an iOS release, a web or desktop release, or a date for any platform. Because the tab is in beta testing and has not been widely released, the functions above may not reach every account at the same time, even after launch.
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What WhatsApp already offers for contacts and chats
Several existing tools already handle parts of this job. WhatsApp’s Help Center documents them as they work today, and none of them is the reported Contacts tab.
| Feature | Where it appears | Documented purpose | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reported Contacts tab | Android beta (version 2.26.40.3, per WABetaInfo) | Contact list with search, sorting, online indicators, birthday reminders, and invites | In development; not available to beta testers at the time of the report; no release date announced |
| Lists | Chats tab | Customisable filters for chats | Documented in the WhatsApp Help Center |
| Favorites | Chats tab, Favorites list, and Calls tab | Shortcut access to chosen contacts | Documented in the WhatsApp Help Center |
| Contact management | Mobile, web, and Windows desktop apps | Add, share, edit, or delete contacts | Documented in the WhatsApp Help Center |
The Help Center also says that suggestions from your address book may appear in Chats. Contact upload is optional. WhatsApp states that address-book phone numbers are typically uploaded once a day, though timing varies with factors such as how much you use the app. These points describe the current system and do not confirm how the new tab would use it.
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Questions readers are asking
What is the new WhatsApp Contacts tab? It is a reported Android feature that would collect your contacts, search, sorting, online cues, birthday reminders, and invites in one place.
When will the WhatsApp Contacts tab be available? WhatsApp has not announced a date, and the beta reports do not give one. Until WhatsApp announces a rollout, there is no release date to plan around.
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Does WhatsApp show birthdays in Contacts? The reported tab would show birthday reminders taken from the birthdays in your phone’s address book. That is a reported feature in beta, not a documented one.
How do I see who is online on WhatsApp? The reported tab would show a green dot for contacts who are online and who allow that visibility. Whether and how this appears in the app today is not covered by the reports reviewed, so check the current app and the official WhatsApp Help Center for present behaviour.
What to watch for
- An official WhatsApp announcement, which would confirm the feature and its platforms.
- Updates from WABetaInfo on later beta builds, which may show changes to the tab’s layout or controls.
- Help Center updates that describe the tab’s privacy behaviour, which the current documentation does not cover.
Until one of these appears, the Contacts tab should be treated as a reported Android feature in development.
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