{
  "id": 19505010,
  "title": "WhatsApp may soon replace the Communities tab on iOS",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/11/whatsapp-may-soon-replace-the-communities-tab-on-ios",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-11-11T13:41:13.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "9to5Mac",
    "slug": "9to5mac",
    "url": "https://9to5mac.com/2026/11/11/whatsapp-may-soon-replace-the-communities-tab-on-ios/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Some beta testers of WhatsApp on iOS are now encountering a new option in the app that replaces the Communities tab. WhatsApp has increasingly focused on Communities as users tend to use messaging apps for smaller, private group interactions instead of traditional social networks. Over the past few years, WhatsApp has been testing various features to help users identify online contacts. In May, WABetaInfo reported on the development of a new Contacts hub, which will group favorite contacts and those who are online or recently active. Later, WhatsApp began testing a green dot indicator on iOS to highlight online contacts. The latest update involves rolling out the new Contacts hub to some iOS beta testers, replacing the Communities tab in the bottom navigation bar. This new tab includes sections for favorite contacts and a full contact list, with options to sort by activity, name, or birthdays. Contacts marked as online display a green dot, making it easy to distinguish them from offline contacts. The feature also allows direct contact addition and syncing to the iPhone's address book. While the Communities feature remains, it will be moved to a filter in the Chats tab. WhatsApp is also experimenting with potentially replacing the Updates tab instead of Communities in a future version. Currently, the new Contacts tab is available to a limited number of beta testers via TestFlight, with a wider rollout anticipated in the coming weeks.",
  "summary": "Some WhatsApp beta testers on iOS are seeing a new option in the app’s bottom navigation bar that replaces the Communities tab. Here are the details. more…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}