WhatsApp Tests Social Media Integration for Personal Profiles

WhatsApp is preparing to roll out a new feature that will allow users to link their social media accounts directly to their profiles within the messaging app. This addition, which has been found in a beta version of WhatsApp for iPhone, will give users the ability to display links to their other social media profiles, enhancing personalization and engagement.

Currently, the feature is only available to select users through the TestFlight program. The integration, which is similar to what is already offered for business accounts, aims to make individual profiles more dynamic and informative. The ability to link social media accounts will appear as an option in the profile settings, where users can decide whether or not to include these links.

While the beta version only shows the option to link to Instagram, it’s expected that additional platforms, particularly other Meta-owned services such as Threads and Facebook, may be included before the feature’s full release. Unlike the verification process required for linking an Instagram profile to a business account, users linking their personal social media accounts in the beta version won’t need to go through verification – although it may eventually be required to prevent impersonation.

While only a small addition to the platform, this new integration feature would help to bring WhatsApp slightly closer to the rest of Meta’s ecosystem – ever since being purchased in 2014, the app has been only lightly connected to other Meta platforms. Given that direct competitor platforms have been making efforts to widen their net – including X’s long-term goal of becoming an “everything app” – having WhatsApp more closely tied to Meta could be their own attempt to keep everything cross-connected.