WhatsApp has decided to bring back one of its historic functions, the “Information” sectionsimilar to Instagram Notes, updating it and making it central again within the profile and private chats with a setting designed for quick, clear and contextualized communications. The new feature allows users to insert a short text message (unlike Instagram Notes which also allow you to interact with video and audio), possibly accompanied by an emoji, to indicate what activity you are engaged in at a given moment or the type of conversation you wish to receive, with precise control over who can view it and for how long.
This feature, which by default disappears after 24 hours, can be adjusted via a customizable timer accessible from settings. The Information section is positioned at the top of individual chats and in the profile, so as to be immediately visible and become a direct point of contact: the reader can touch the text and reply, transforming what was a simple textual status into a further opportunity for social interaction. We see What is the new WhatsApp Information feature and how to use it.
How it works WhatsApp information
The Information function represents a sort of “return to origins” rethought in a modern key: already at the dawn of the app, even before secure messaging became its distinctive feature, WhatsApp integrated a function of this kind which allowed users to quickly tell what was happening during your day. Recalling what has just been said, in the official press release announcing the function, WhatsApp explained:
Those who have used WhatsApp since the beginning will remember that Information was our first function. Even before we gave the world the ability to send private, secure messages, we enabled people to quickly share what’s happening in their lives. Today we reintroduce and improve the Information sectionmaking it more visible, faster and easier to use.
Today, therefore, the Information function is relaunched with a more intuitive interface and greater integration into the daily use experience. By finding it above conversations and in your profile, you are no longer forced to look for it among the less obvious settings, but you can update and consult it immediately. The logic is that of favor short and concise messageseasily readable, useful for indicating, for example, that you are temporarily busy or that you prefer to talk about a certain topic.
From a visibility point of view, the user can decide whether to make the Information accessible exclusively to their contacts in the address book, or whether to extend the display to a wider audience through the easily customizable privacy options. This freedom of choice allows you to adapt the tool to different contextsfrom the most intimate ones to those where you want to share an update with a small circle of people. Also interesting is the possibility for readers to interact directly with the content by selecting it: in this way Information does not remain a superimposed message at the top of the chat, but is transformed into a clickable element to start a chata sort of openness signal or implicit invitation to dialogue.
The distribution of the new (old) feature is planned on all mobile devices during this week.
How to use WhatsApp Information
Since we have already received the function in the editorial office, we can explain it to you how to use WhatsApp Information on your smartphone.
- Open theWhatsApp app and go to the section Settings.
- Touch the area where yours is located name and surname (above).
- In the text field you see at the top of the screen, use the appropriate text field to type the phrase to share and possibly select theemoji with which to accompany the message using the button on the left. Alternatively, you can choose from the predefined messages in the section Select (e.g. Available to chat, I’ll reply later, With friends, Travelingand so on).
- Tap the Duration menu and choose how long to show the message (e.g. 1 hour, 8 hours, 1 day, 2 days or 1 week) or opt for Personalised to set a different duration than the standard options.
- Touch Save to save the changes made to the profile and then go to the section Settings > Privacy > About to define the degree of visibility of your Information.
