This WhatsApp concept imagines stealing a huge iMessage feature

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Ios 15 Focus Hero
Ios 15 Focus Hero (Image credit: Christine Romero-Chan / iMore)

What you need to know

  • A new concept imagines WhatsApp telling people when the person they're messaging has a Focus mode enabled.
  • The iOS 15 messages app already does this, but WhatsApp doesn't offer the same functionality.

WhatsApp could one day take a leaf out of the Messages app's book and show people when the people they're messaging have a Focus enabled. But right now, it's only available in concept form.

Message users are already making use of Focus Status, a feature added to iOS 15 that allows apps to show when other people have a specific Focus mode enabled — like Do Not Disturb, for example. That means that people sending messages will always know when the recipient is in a situation where they won't receive a notification. As of right now, WhatsApp doesn't support such a feature, but WABetaInfo has created a concept that imagines that it could.

Screenshot showing WhatsApp concept

Screenshot showing WhatsApp concept (Image credit: WABetaInfo)

As you can see in this concept, when you open a WhatsApp chat with contacts that have a focus mode enabled, there will be a new system message placed at the bottom of the conversation so you can understand whether a contact is available for a conversation. Yes, people may not want to share this information on WhatsApp, so there should be implemented a new toggle right within WhatsApp Settings to manage this feature.

WhatsApp is already thought to be readying support for a feature that will alert people if they miss a call because they had a Focus mode enabled, but it isn't yet ready for prime time.

WhatsApp has long been one of the best iPhone apps for staying in touch with non-iMessage-using friends and family, but a ton of people use it as a replacement for iMessage as well. Being able to see when the person you're messaging is unavailable will help them determine whether a reply is likely — and even punch through and force a notification in the case of emergency, too.

Oliver Haslam
Oliver Haslam
Contributor

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.