WhatsApp About is the short line that sits by your name: you pick an emoji, add up to 50 characters of text, and can set it to expire after a chosen time. By default all your contacts can see it, and you change that in Settings, Privacy, About, choosing Everyone, My contacts, My contacts except..., or Nobody.
WhatsApp's own Help Center describes About as a quick way to let people know what you're up to, share a thought or mood, or show that you're available to chat. It's one of three things you can edit on your profile, alongside your photo and your name. I cover the photo side in my guide to changing your WhatsApp profile picture, so this page sticks to the words.
Where your About shows up
People see your About by your name at the top of a personal chat with you. It shows as a thought bubble, and the Help Center says they can tap that bubble to reply to it directly. So it isn't just a label. It's something a contact can answer, which is worth remembering before you write anything cheeky in it.
Your About sits next to your profile photo, which most people call your DP. If you've ever wondered where that term comes from, I explain it in what DP means on WhatsApp.
How to edit or clear it, step by step
The WhatsApp Help Center has separate tabs for Android, iOS, Web, Windows and Mac. The steps below are the Windows desktop ones as WhatsApp writes them, as of November 2026. On your phone the menu names can differ slightly, but the order is the same idea.
- Click your profile photo, then Profile.
- By your About, click the edit button.
- Select one of the pre-made About options, or write your own custom message.
- Click Duration to pick how long your About will be visible to others.
- To add an emoji, click the emoji button.
- Click the confirm button to save.
To remove your current About, click the x beside it. There's also a second route in: you can edit your About from Settings, under What's happening? That wording catches people out, because nothing on that screen says About until you open it.
Why the Duration setting matters
The timer is the part most people never notice. You can set your About for a specific duration before it expires, which means it doesn't have to be a permanent bio. That changes what's sensible to put there.
A permanent About should be something that stays true for months. A timed one can say something that's only true this week, because it'll clear itself. The mistake I'd avoid is writing a time-sensitive line with no timer on it. The Help Center says About makes it easier to know what's happening in the lives of everyone you're connected to, and a line that went out of date weeks ago tells them the wrong thing.
Choosing who can read it
To change who sees your About, open Settings, then Privacy, then About, and pick one of four options. On the desktop app, the Help Center path is Settings, then Privacy, then the setting you want to change. Here's what each option means for your About:
| Setting | Who can see your About | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Everyone | All WhatsApp users | Status can't be set to Everyone, but About can |
| My contacts | Only contacts from your address book | This is the default for About |
| My contacts except... | Your contacts, minus the ones you exclude | Handy for hiding it from one or two people |
| Nobody | No one | Your phone number still shows |
You can also reach the same choices through WhatsApp's privacy checkup, if you'd rather walk through all your settings in one go.
One detail I'd flag: your About and your profile photo don't start with the same audience. By default, any user can see your profile photo, while only your contacts can see your About. So a stranger who messages you might see your face but not your About line, unless you've changed one of them. Your contacts are the people who see your About, so it helps to know how to delete a contact from WhatsApp.
What the privacy setting can't hide
Setting About to Nobody hides the line itself, nothing more. The Help Center is clear on a few things it won't touch:
- Your phone number. There's no way to hide your phone number when using WhatsApp, and it stays visible even if the other person hasn't saved your number in their contacts.
- Your profile name, in groups. It's visible to people in groups who haven't saved your contact information.
- Group members' numbers. As of November 2026, it's not possible to hide a group member's phone number in a group.
Blocking is the one blunt tool that does cut someone off. If you block someone, they won't see any updates to your photo or About. For the other settings people tend to look for next, there's how to hide your last seen on WhatsApp and WhatsApp's chat privacy setting.
About and Status aren't the same thing
People mix these two up all the time, because both are ways to tell contacts what you're doing. They work very differently:
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| About | Status | |
|---|---|---|
| What it holds | An emoji and up to 50 characters of text | Text, photo, video and GIF updates |
| How long it lasts | As long as the duration you choose | It disappears after 24 hours |
| Length limit | 50 characters | The maximum duration for a status is 90 seconds |
| Can it be turned off? | You can remove it with the x | It's not possible to turn off or disable Status |
| Can Everyone see it? | Yes, if you choose Everyone | No, status privacy can't be set to Everyone |
So About is the quiet line by your name, and Status is the broadcast. If you want contacts to notice something today, Status is the louder option. If you want a line that's simply there when someone opens your chat, that's About.
The rest of your profile, briefly
While you're in Profile, a few limits from the same Help Center page are worth knowing. Your profile name has a limit of 25 characters. You can edit your username at any time. You can also set an avatar alongside your profile photo.
You may also notice a mention of Accounts Center. As of November 2026, WhatsApp says Accounts Center is being renamed Meta Account and the change is rolling out gradually, so you might see either name. Adding WhatsApp there is optional, and WhatsApp only appears there if you added it before or choose to add it.
What I'd put in a business About
I'd keep it short and professional, and skip anything time-sensitive unless you set the timer. Fifty characters is about one plain sentence, so use it to tell a customer what to expect from you. Something like your opening hours, how quickly you usually reply, or the best way to book is far more useful than a quote or a joke.
For anything temporary, such as being away for a few days or a seasonal offer, write it with a duration on it so it clears itself. Then check your About privacy matches who you're talking to. If customers aren't saved as contacts, the default setting means they won't see it at all, which is easy to miss.
This guide is part of my WhatsApp Help: 43 Guides to Transfers, Backups, Business and Privacy.
Frequently asked questions
What is About on WhatsApp?
It's a short line by your name: an emoji plus up to 50 characters of text that tells people what you're up to, a thought or mood, or that you're available to chat. You can set it to expire after a chosen time.
How many characters can a WhatsApp About have?
Up to 50 characters of text, plus an emoji.
Who can see my WhatsApp About?
By default, all your contacts. You can change it in Settings, Privacy, About to Everyone, My contacts, My contacts except..., or Nobody.
How do I remove my About on WhatsApp?
Open your profile, click the edit button by your About and click the x to remove your current About.
Is WhatsApp About the same as Status?
No. About is a short line with an emoji and up to 50 characters that lasts as long as you choose. Status shares text, photo, video and GIF updates that disappear after 24 hours.
