WhatsApp Android beta gets a Favorites filter in the Chats tab

A new chat filter option could make its way to WhatsApp in a future update. The instant messaging app has started rolling out the "Favorites" filter in the Chats tab, according to WABetaInfo, which spotted the unreleased feature in WhatsApp Beta for Android v2.24.12.7.

WhatsApp's Favorites filter is available to some beta testers and will roll out to more users in the coming days. The company has been working on the feature for quite some time now. It lets users easily access important conversations and group chats by marking them as favorites.

The Favorites filter sits between the pill-shaped buttons for unread messages and group chat filters WhatsApp introduced in an update last month. As per the website, users can mark individual people and groups as favorites directly from the Chats tab or by going to the chat info screen of a contact.

They can do the same using a new "Favorites" section in the app's Settings, where they can easily add, remove, or re-arrange favorite contacts and group chats. The feature can help users better organize their chats and save time when finding important contacts.

The new filter adds to WhatsApp's previous work around the Favorites feature. The instant messaging platform tested a Favorites section for the Calls tab earlier this year, which displays important contacts and groups to quickly make phone calls without searching for them in the call log.

There is no word on the release date of the Favorites feature in WhatsApp. For now, users can also highlight important chats in WhatsApp using the chat pinning feature.

Apart from that, the Meta-owned company is working on a stream of other features, including chat themes, AI-generated profile photos, clear unread message count, hide community group chats, new UI for Status updates, recent online contacts, and more.

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