WhatsApp is testing rich link previews in Status updates

WhatsApp message thread on iPhone X (Image credit: Luke Filipowicz/iMore)

What you need to know

WhatsApp is testing adding rich link previews to its Status update feature.
People would be able to see where a link heads before opening it.
There is no timeframe for when this new feature will be available to all.

WhatsApp is testing a new feature that would allow people to insert rich link previews into their Status updates. Sharing a link via a Status update currently displays the URL and nothing more.

That will all change if this new change is rolled out to everyone. As WABetaInfo reports, WhatsApp is testing allowing rich link previews to display a preview of the website that is being linked to, giving people an idea of what they will see if they click or tap through.

Whatsapp Rich Link Preview screenshot (Image credit: WABetaInfo)

As you can see in this screenshot, you can notice the difference between the current text status update and the new one that will be released in the future: WhatsApp is generating a rich preview by adding more details to the shared link.

As always, there is no telling if or when this change will be rolled out to those of us using the latest App Store version of WhatsApp. WABetaInfo notes that the feature is still under development and will be made available to beta testers first.

WhatsApp is already one of the best iPhone apps for staying in touch with other people and the TikTok-like Status updates are one aspect of the app that Meta is working on improving. We've already seen signs that new group chat polls will also be made available via a future update.

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.