WhatsApp is currently working on a new feature aimed at helping users remember their contacts' birthdays. This upcoming addition will allow users to send birthday wishes to family and friends, ensuring that no important dates are overlooked.
Collecting Birth Dates for Compliance
As of now, users are not required to provide their birth dates when signing up for WhatsApp. However, certain regions in the United States have begun implementing age verification laws that require online platforms to confirm the ages of their users. In response, WhatsApp has started collecting users' birth date information to comply with these regulations. This information will be kept confidential and used solely by WhatsApp.
Insights from WABetaInfo
The new birthday reminder feature was uncovered by WABetaInfo in the beta version of WhatsApp for Android, specifically version 2.26.27.3. Although the feature is still in development and is not yet available to beta testers, initial screenshots reveal that WhatsApp is creating a dedicated section where users can view a list of upcoming birthdays of their contacts.
Notification System for Birthdays
Once implemented, the birthday reminders will notify users through the app whenever a contact has a birthday. However, it's important to note that these reminders will only be generated if the contact has shared their birth date with WhatsApp. If a contact has not provided their birth date, WhatsApp will not have the necessary information to send a reminder.
Future Privacy Controls
At this stage of development, WhatsApp has not introduced any privacy controls that would allow users to choose whether or not to share their birthday with their contacts. According to reports from WABetaInfo, there is currently no option to restrict access to this data, which is collected for compliance purposes. However, it is possible that WhatsApp may implement specific privacy settings to hide birth dates before the feature is officially launched.
As for the release date of this feature, WhatsApp has not provided any specific timeline. Recently, the platform introduced a username feature that is expected to be rolled out by the end of this year, with reservations already open for users.
Source: https://inet.detik.com/mobile-apps/d-8568484/whatsapp-siapkan-fitur-pengingat-ulang-tahun-agar-tak-lupa-kasih-ucapan
