WhatsApp is running a new feature test in Ghana that repositions Status updates — the app’s 24-hour disappearing photo and video posts — to the top of the Chats tab, the first screen most users see when they open the app.
The test is small and limited, but its implications are significant.
The company cited the country’s strong WhatsApp community and the quality of feedback it expects from local users as the primary reasons for selecting it as the test market.
Ghana and Nigeria have repeatedly served as testing grounds for Meta products aimed at markets where WhatsApp functions less as a messaging add-on and more as a primary communications infrastructure.
What the Test Actually Looks Like
In the current test, a tray of Status updates appears at the top of the Chats tab, showing organic updates from your contacts only.
The Status tray can be minimised by swiping down, and individual contacts’ updates can be hidden at any time.
Meta hasn’t announced a timeline for broader rollout, and the company is framing this as an exploratory test rather than a confirmed product direction. The outcome in Ghana will likely shape whether — and how — the feature gets refined before any wider release.
Asaase 99.5 Accra, Asaase 98.5 Kumasi, Asaase 100.3 Cape Coast, AsaasePa 107.3 (Accra)
Affiliates: Bawku FM 101.5, Bead FM 99.9 (Bimbilla), Mining City Radio 89.5 (Tarkwa), Nandom FM 101.9, Nyatefe Radio 94.5 (Dzodze), Sissala Radio 96.3 (Tumu), Somuaa FM 89.9 (Gushegu), Stone City 90.7 (Ho) and Wale FM 106.9 (Walewale)
Listen online: atlanticafricanews.com/, Sound Garden and TuneIn
Follow us:
X: @asaaseradio995, @Asaase985ksi, @asaase1003, asaasepa1073
Instagram: asaaseradio99.5, asaase985ksi, asaase100.3, asaasepa107.3
LinkedIn: company/asaaseradio995. TikTok: @asaaseradio99.5
Facebook: asaase99.5, asaase985ksi, Asaase100.3, AsaasePa107.3
YouTube: AsaaseRadioXtra
Join the conversation. Accra: call 020 000 9951/050 009 0121, WhatsApp 020 000 0995. Kumasi: call 059 415 7985 or call/WhatsApp 020 631 5260. Cape Coast: call/WhatsApp 059 388 2652.
#AsaaseRadio
#AsaasePa
#TheVoiceofOurLand
