WhatsApp is testing a myriad of upcoming features on Android, among which are a host of visual additions and changes, expected to improve the app's usability. Following the additions that were spotted earlier last week, new information suggests WhatsApp could get a dedicated contacts hub to help users find contacts quickly.
WhatsApp's Active Contact Hub Moves Closer to Launch
Based on the insights from WABetaInfo, the WhatsApp Contacts Hub feature spotted back in March 2026, is moving closer to release. The feature was spotted in the version 2.26.13.3 update and appears to have come a long way to a point where its UI is seemingly finalised.
The source suggests the feature is still under testing in the current latest beta and may arrive with another major change, which is the Contact hub being shifted to the bottom navigation bar. This will make it easier for users to see all the contacts that are online, instead of manually going to the section inside the New Chat option.
That said, for those unaware, the feature will let users see who might be reachable even if they are not online right now. Although it's worth noting that people who don't share their last seen and online activity won't be displayed in this section.
Besides the dedicated Contacts Hub feature, WhatsApp has also rolled out another feature, which adds a Meta AI tab to the bottom navigation bar. This tab replaces the communities section and consists of all the AI features in the app. The Communities feature can still be accessed from the chats list.
While these may look like minor changes, they can fundamentally change how users use WhatsApp. Adding a Contacts page with the ability to see the people who are or were recently online presents a good opportunity to initiate the conversation.
The same cannot be said about the Meta AI tab, though, as it's pretty evident that Meta wants to push its AI tools through the change. It's not something people might be fond of. Besides these features, WhatsApp is testing a log-out feature and we might soon get a dedicated WhatsApp scam alert feature.
While WABetaInfo hasn't detailed the exact release timeline of the feature, we expect it to roll out very soon. The screenshots point to a nearly finished feature release, so stay tuned!
