WhatsApp has begun rolling out a green dot indicator on Android that shows when a contact is currently online, replacing the text-based status label previously used in the chat info screen. The feature appeared with WhatsApp beta for Android version 2.26.24.5, available through the Google Play Store, and is currently visible to a limited number of beta testers.
The green dot appears directly on a contact’s profile photo within the chat info screen whenever that contact has the app open and their privacy settings allow others to see their online status.
Before this update, the chat info screen let you know if a contact was online, but it did so with a simple text label sitting below their profile photo. Now, WhatsApp is switching things up by adding a green dot right on the profile picture itself. This little green dot conveys the same information but is much easier to spot at a glance.
The update is part of a broader redesign WhatsApp is building around online status visibility. The company is separately developing a dedicated Contacts hub that will display a full list of contacts who are currently online or recently active, with sorting options by name or by online status.
Contacts who have hidden their last seen or online status will not appear in that list, preserving existing privacy controls. WhatsApp plans to use the same green dot styling within that hub once it launches, making the current chat info screen rollout a preview of that larger design direction.
For now, the green dot remains limited specifically to the chat info screen and is not yet visible in the chat list or within an open conversation. WhatsApp has not announced an official timeline for a stable, public release, though the company is expected to roll out the feature to more beta testers and additional parts of the app in the coming weeks.
