WhatsApp Tests In-App Birthday Reminders for Contacts
WhatsApp is testing a feature that will remind users of contacts' birthdays and introduce a dedicated Birthdays section within the app.
SociapaHQ
WhatsApp is developing a new feature that could help users keep track of their contacts' birthdays by sending reminders directly within the app, according to a report by WABetaInfo.
The feature was found in WhatsApp for Android beta version 2.26.27.3 and is in development. It’s not yet available to beta testers.
According to the report, WhatsApp will notify users when one of their saved contacts is celebrating a birthday. The notification will allow users to open the chat immediately and send birthday wishes without leaving the app.
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Birthday Notifications:
The platform is also working on a dedicated Birthdays section which should show the upcoming birthdays of your saved contacts at one place, making it easier for users to remember important dates.
The feature will likely utilise users’ date of birth information. WhatsApp already collects birth dates in some US states as part of regulatory age verification requirements. That data could be used to power birthday reminders in those areas. In markets where birthdays are not automatically collected, the feature may rely on users voluntarily adding their birth date to their profile.
WABetaInfo also added that WhatsApp is testing the ability to add your birthday to your profile. The app is also trying out more birthday prompts in chats to remind people to send greetings when they come up.
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Birthday information privacy controls are still being worked out. At the moment, users have no way to control who can see their birthday or hide it from contacts, but it is expected that these controls will be available before the feature is released to the general public.
Meta has not officially announced the feature or shared a timeline for its wider release. It also remains unclear when birthday reminders could arrive on stable versions of WhatsApp for Android or whether the feature will launch simultaneously on iOS.
