In the newest Android beta version (2.25.22.22), WhatsApp is experimenting with a disappearing About status.
The “About” section, where users often express moods, activities, or short messages, previously remained static until manually edited.
Now, users may soon be able to attach a timer to their About section, setting it to expire automatically after:
- 30 minutes
- 1 hour
- 6 hours
- 12 hours
- 1 day
A custom timer option also allows durations of up to one month, which is ideal for temporary updates like holiday or out-of-office status.
Once active, the status appears alongside the “Last Seen” indicator at the top of your chat screen, giving people immediate context, like whether you’re busy, on vacation, or simply unavailable.
For those concerned with privacy, only people permitted under your existing About privacy settings can see it. Also, you can set the expiration time.
To make statuses more expressive, WhatsApp plans to allow emojis in the About section. Moreover, after expiration, the status disappears publicly but is stored privately, i.e., only visible to the use for easy recall. Users can also manually change or remove the status anytime.