WhatsApp turns profile 'About' into a timed status, and users are not happy

WhatsApp just made a change to its profile ‘About’ section, and if you’re a long-time user, you’re probably going to hate it. The platform has quietly replaced the permanent bio field with a new, timed status feature.

It’s a move that forces your personal message to disappear after a set period, from a few hours to a week.

When you think back to the early days of the app, the ‘About’ section was a simple, static field. It was where you put your favorite quote, a joke, or a crucial note like “Urgent calls only” for years on end. Now, that’s all gone.

The updated prompt now resembles a modern launcher, with duration options for 1 hour, 8 hours, or 1 week. It clearly aims to make the feature similar to Instagram’s Note function or the temporary Status updates.

We’d be very surprised if this wasn’t a deliberate attempt to make the app feel more dynamic and social-media-like. But for many users, it’s a frustrating change that removes a core utility.

The problem is that users treated the old ‘About’ as a permanent bio, not a temporary mood update. One user on Reddit lamented that their three-year-old message, “I just exist,” is now gone.

Another pointed out the absurdity of not having a “forever” option, noting that even ancient services like Skype allowed for a permanent status.

It’s not just about losing a funny bio, either. The change is also affecting WhatsApp Business accounts. As one user noted, no actual business is going to update their static contact information or welcome message every month. 

This is a massive headache for professional accounts that need a reliable, set-it-and-forget-it field.

WhatsApp’s official blog post frames this as “Reintroducing About: An improved way to share what you’re up to.” They suggest it’s a “smarter” way to convey your current status through a short phrase and an emoji.

But the growing backlash suggests that many people don’t want this “smarter” way to inform everyone of their current status every other day or week. They want something permanent. 

I’m hoping that the sheer volume of user complaints, especially from the business community, is enough to make Meta reconsider. They could easily add a simple “Never Expire” option to the timer menu.

Until then, you’ll have to remember to manually renew your status every few days.

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