This way you can hide WhatsApp channels and Current News and get almost the usual design

WhatsApp recently introduced a new feature called Channels. As a result, “status” disappeared and was replaced by “current”. This is not well received by all users. We’ll tell you how you can restore the old UI – at least partially.

In the clip: Click here for step-by-step instructions

This is how “channels” work on WhatsApp

Recently it has become possible to subscribe to information and news from organizations, clubs, companies or people via “Channels”. It works largely unilaterally. This means that recipients can interact with channel content using emojis and participate in polls, but they cannot respond directly

We regularly explain the latest developments and tricks in the popular messaging service WhatsApp: for example, you can find messages and photos within a few seconds. Did you know that you can easily ignore calls from strangers on WhatsApp? Please note: This is how you update your data protection settings on WhatsApp.

Many users want to remove Current News again

Google searches for “WhatsApp channels” and adding “hide”, “remove” or “deactivate” have increased steadily since the update was rolled out. But what exactly bothers users about the new functionality? Perhaps the decisive criterion is planning. Because without subscribing to the channel, the new feature will not be noticeable at first. Only the “Current” tab is displayed at the bottom left, next to the “Calls”, “Communities”, “Chats” and “Settings” functions. If you tap on it, you’ll see status messages from family, friends, colleagues and other WhatsApp contacts as usual.

However, if you subscribe to a channel, the layout changes. The status bar becomes smaller and rotates horizontally. The channels are further placed in the list. Below this is a line with suggestions for new channels to subscribe to. On X, some users complain that they are being suggested channels that don’t match their interests at all. These include sports clubs or celebrity channels.

WhatsApp channels: can they be disabled?

In the current version of WhatsApp, there is no direct way to hide or deactivate channels. If you want to get back the old WhatsApp design, you have to unsubscribe from all channels. To do this, click on the channel in question and select “Unsubscribe” under Channel Info. However, the new feature cannot currently be completely deactivated. Users can’t prevent Search Channels from being shown to them with relevant suggestions. Football clubs are currently being suggested to almost all users as they are among the most popular channels. Suggestions cannot be influenced.

This trick will restore the old version

Good news for all Android users! They can use a simple trick: first uninstall the current WhatsApp version and then install the old version from August. Then the Status tab appears again instead of Current.