SAN FRANCISCO: Meta-owned WhatsApp is reportedly rolling out a new feature called — ‘status archive’ for businesses to beta tester on Android.

According to WABetaInfo, the status updates will be archived on users’ devices after 24 hours when the feature is enabled.

In addition, users can also manage their archive preferences and see their archive directly from the menu within the Status tab.

As the archive is always private, only the businesses can see their archived status updates.

Moreover, the report said that this feature could be very useful for businesses as it will allow them to republish a status from their archive and share it with their customers again in order to improve their business.

The status updates will be stored on the device for up to 30 days, and businesses will still be able to create advertisements for Facebook or Instagram or share the status updates until they expire in the archive.

Currently available to beta testers, the report mentioned the new feature will become available to more users in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, WhatsApp is reportedly working on a new feature called — ‘WhatsApp usernames’, which will let users choose unique usernames for their accounts.

With this feature, users will be able to opt for a unique and memorable username, instead of depending solely on phone numbers to identify contacts.