WhatsApp Tests New Feature to Display Contact Birthdays Directly in Chat Info
WhatsApp is testing a new feature that allows users to view their contacts' birthdays directly from the chat info screen, a move designed to make tracking birthdays easier without the need to leave the app or open the device's native calendar.
According to information spotted by WABetaInfo, WhatsApp is currently working on integrating a dedicated birthday field within the contact info screen in a beta version of the app for iPhones (iOS). The feature remains under development and is not yet widely available to beta testers.
The birthday field appears at the top of the contact info screen, positioned beneath the person’s name and 'last seen' status. This placement makes the date highly accessible, eliminating the need to search through the phone's native contacts or calendar applications.
Notably, WhatsApp does not require users to manually input their birthdays into the platform. Instead, it securely extracts this data from the device's address book. If a user has a contact's birthday saved in their phone's native contact details, WhatsApp reads this information and displays it automatically.
This data syncs automatically whenever contact information is modified in the address book, meaning users will not need to input or update birthdays separately within the WhatsApp ecosystem.
This addition is part of a broader suite of changes WhatsApp is developing to manage contact birthdays. The platform recently began developing a complementary feature that surfaces birthday reminders within the contacts tab, displaying a cake icon and a prompt indicating that a contact's birthday is today.
These two features operate in tandem: the contact info screen allows users to verify a birthday at any given time, while the reminder provides a timely nudge on the actual day, prompting users to send a greeting or reach out.
However, these functionalities depend entirely on the birthday being previously saved in the phone's native address book. If a user has not added the date to the contact's details locally, WhatsApp will be unable to display it.
The development of this feature is part of a series of updates aimed at transforming WhatsApp into a comprehensive hub that provides supplementary contact information alongside standard chats and calls.
Currently, the birthday display feature remains under development for iOS, and WhatsApp has not announced a specific timeline for a widespread rollout. The feature is expected to undergo further testing and refinement before its official launch in a future update.