The redesign aims to enhance user experience by maintaining a clean and organized interface. For users following channels, status updates are displayed horizontally, ensuring clarity and easy access. Meanwhile, those not following any channels will view updates in a vertical list format, featuring redesigned thumbnails for better visibility.
Previously, status previews replaced the profile photo, causing confusion among users. With this update, WhatsApp addresses this issue by displaying both the profile picture and status preview side by side. This improvement is part of WhatsApp’s ongoing efforts to refine its features and provide a more intuitive messaging experience for its global user base.
The beta version is currently being tested by a limited number of users and is expected to roll out to more users in the near future.