WhatsApp Develops Birthday Alerts to Reduce Facebook Visits

WhatsApp is working on a new feature that will notify users of their contacts' birthdays directly within the app, according to WABetaInfo. This update, currently in development and not yet available to beta testers, aims to create a dedicated section for upcoming birthdays, allowing users to send greetings via chat without relying on external calendars or Facebook. The feature is initially being developed for Android users, with no official release date announced.

The birthday alerts will utilize birthdate information that some users have already provided to WhatsApp, primarily collected to comply with age verification laws in certain regions. Until now, this data was used solely for regulatory purposes, but the new feature plans to put it to practical use by alerting friends when a contact's birthday arrives. However, the alerts will only work for contacts who have shared their birthdate with WhatsApp, and the app does not currently request this information from all users.

Privacy concerns remain unresolved, as WhatsApp has not yet introduced settings to allow users to control the visibility of their birthdate to contacts. Since the feature is still in early stages, privacy controls may be added before the official launch. Birthday reminders are common on other social media and messaging platforms, and this addition to WhatsApp addresses a common user need, potentially reducing the incentive to visit Facebook for such notifications. Further rollout details and availability for iOS users have not been disclosed.