WhatsApp’s Green Online Dot Lands on iOS TestFlight Beta

WhatsApp is rolling out a small green online indicator to iPhone beta users through Apple’s TestFlight program. The dot appears on a contact’s profile photo inside the chat information screen, replacing the text-based ‘online’ label that once sat beneath the photo. WhatsApp is gradually extending access to more testers, and a small number of App Store users are also seeing the dot as part of the testing process.

The independent tracker reported the iOS rollout after installing the latest TestFlight beta. Behind the small UI change, WhatsApp is building a Contacts hub that will gather every reachable friend or family member into one tab, with the green dot marking online users at a glance. WhatsApp has not announced when the indicator will reach the public, stable version.

A Green Dot Replaces the Online Label

WhatsApp now shows a small green circle in the corner of a contact’s profile photo when that person is actively using the app. The dot lives in the chat info screen and disappears the moment the contact goes offline, so it always reflects the current state. Before this change, the chat info screen already told users whether a contact was online, but it did so through a text label printed below the profile photo. The green dot communicates the same information in a way that is easier to spot at a glance.

The feature first reached Android testers through the WhatsApp beta for Android 2.26.24.5 update on the Google Play Store. The iOS version is now catching up through TestFlight, after WABetaInfo installed the WhatsApp beta for iOS 26.26.10.72 build and confirmed the indicator appearing inside the chat info screen for some beta accounts. WhatsApp is expanding access to more beta testers over the coming weeks. A small number of users on the stable App Store version may also see the dot as part of the testing process. WhatsApp has not announced a release date for the public version.

Where the Indicator Shows Up, and Where It Doesn’t

WhatsApp is keeping the green dot in a deliberately small corner of the app. For now, it shows up only on the chat info screen, the page that opens when a user taps a contact’s name at the top of an active conversation.

The green dot is an important part of this experience, since it uses the same system the Contacts hub will rely on.

Because the dot only appears after a user has already entered a conversation, it does not surface in the parts of WhatsApp where most users scroll past dozens of names at a time. The placement gives the company room to refine how the indicator should look in other parts of the app. WABetaInfo frames the small icon as the foundation for the wider Contacts hub rollout that comes next. iPhone testers running the latest beta can also watch the same app pick up other live on-device changes, including multi-account support now reaching iPhones.

The green dot does not appear in the chat list, in the conversation screen itself, or inside the contacts section that opens from the Chats tab. WhatsApp is using the chat info screen as a quiet staging ground for the indicator. The original Android rollout of the indicator landed in the same spot, and the iOS version mirrors that placement exactly.

Privacy Settings Stay in Control

The dot follows the same privacy rules WhatsApp already applies to the text-based ‘online’ indicator. If a contact has chosen to hide their last seen and online status inside WhatsApp’s settings, no dot will appear for them at all. WhatsApp carries that preference straight through to the new indicator, so the chat info screen looks the same as before for users whose visibility is set to ‘Nobody.’ The company is using the same backbone for the planned Contacts hub, where hidden contacts will be filtered out of the list entirely. Anyone with ‘Nobody’ set today will not appear in the green dot, the chat info screen label, or the eventual Contacts hub.

WhatsApp’s own help center privacy guide spells out the reciprocity baked into this design. “If you don’t share your last seen or online, you can’t see other users’ last seen or online,” the guide states. The rule applies whether someone is using the old text label or the new green dot, and it will continue to apply inside the Contacts hub WhatsApp is preparing to ship.

• Everyone: All other WhatsApp users, including people you have not saved as a contact, can see that you are online.
• My Contacts: Only people saved in your address book can see your online status.
• My Contacts Except… Your full address book sees your status, except for specific contacts you exclude one by one.
• Nobody: No one sees your online status, and the green dot for your own profile photo is turned off entirely.

What the Green Dot Is Building Toward

WABetaInfo describes the green dot as a foundation for the Contacts hub rather than the destination itself. WhatsApp is building a Contacts tab for both Android and iOS that lists contacts who are currently online alongside contacts who were recently active.

The same green dot will mark online contacts inside that hub, so users who learn what the indicator means today will already understand it the day the tab ships. WhatsApp is also reshuffling its navigation bar to make room, with Status updates already moved to the top of the iOS chat list and channels next in line to filter into the Chats tab. A recent report on iOS navigation tests documents WhatsApp preparing that filter.

Once Status updates and Channels both live inside the Chats tab, the Updates tab on the bottom navigation bar has nothing left to do. WhatsApp plans to replace it with the Contacts tab, a slot it has been holding open for exactly this purpose. The Contacts tab will pin favorites at the top and stack the full contacts list below, with two ways to sort the view. Android users will see the same shift, since WhatsApp is preparing to drop the Updates tab on that side too.

• Sorted alphabetically, the contacts list scrolls in name order with no online status shown.
• Sorted by activity, a green dot appears next to contacts who are online right now and recently active contacts are listed below with their last seen.
• In either sort, contacts who have hidden their online status do not appear at all, by their own choice.

iPhone users running the latest TestFlight beta can track the wider shake-up in real time. Other on-device changes have arrived in the same window, including an iOS after-reading disappearing-message beta running in parallel. WhatsApp has been moving Status updates and Channels into the Chats tab in steps that clear the bottom navigation bar. WABetaInfo reports the Contacts hub will take the slot that opens up at the bottom of the screen. When it ships, the green dot that testers see today on the chat info screen will already be familiar inside that tab.

How to Check the Feature Right Now

iPhone users who want to see the green dot today need to install the latest WhatsApp beta for iOS through Apple’s TestFlight app. Open any conversation and tap the contact’s name at the top of the screen. If the contact is currently active on WhatsApp and has not hidden their online status, a small green circle will appear in the corner of their profile photo.

Access is still limited during the testing phase. WABetaInfo says the rollout is gradual and expanding over the coming weeks, so some testers will not see the dot immediately. A small number of users on the stable App Store version may also see the indicator as part of the testing process. WhatsApp has not announced when the feature will reach everyone in the standard build.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will the WhatsApp green dot appear in my chat list?

Not yet. WhatsApp’s iOS beta currently shows the green dot only on the chat info screen, which opens when a user taps a contact’s name at the top of a conversation. The dot is not appearing in the chat list or the conversation screen itself during this rollout.

Can I stop the dot from showing up on my own profile?

Yes. Open WhatsApp Settings, tap Privacy, then Last Seen & Online, and select ‘Nobody.’ Choosing Nobody hides your online status entirely, which also disables the green dot for your own profile photo.

What is the WhatsApp Contacts hub?

It is a planned bottom-navigation tab for WhatsApp on Android and iOS that will list contacts who are online right now alongside contacts who were recently active. The new tab will take the slot currently used by the Updates tab, with a green dot marking contacts who are online at a glance.

When will the green dot reach all WhatsApp users?

WhatsApp has not announced a timeline for the stable release of the green dot on iOS or Android. WABetaInfo reports that the rollout is gradual and expanding to more beta testers over the coming weeks, with no confirmed date for the public version.

Does the green dot respect contact privacy settings?

Yes. Contacts who have hidden their last seen and online status through WhatsApp’s privacy settings will not have a green dot on their profile photo, and they will not appear in the upcoming Contacts hub. The new indicator and the planned hub both honor those existing settings.