How to hide status updates and the Updates tab on WhatsApp (iPhone, 2026)
WhatsApp has no setting that removes the Updates tab, as far as its help center shows in October 2026. What you can do: hide a person's status so it moves to Hidden updates, keep status notifications muted (they are muted by default), and unfollow channels so they leave the Updates tab. Channel notifications are also muted by default. Hiding a status does not stop that person from seeing yours, and statuses disappear after 24 hours anyway.
Written by Ayumu Kitabayashi, the developer of minulo. Facts about WhatsApp come from the WhatsApp Help Center (iPhone instructions), checked on 2026-10-25. Menu names can change with app updates.
| What you want | How | Limits |
|---|---|---|
| Stop seeing one person's status | Hide the status (Updates › the status › More › Hide) | It still arrives, in Hidden updates. One person at a time. |
| No alerts when people post a status | Status notifications are muted by default. Use Mute notifications for anyone you unmuted. | Only about alerts. The status still shows in Updates. |
| Remove a channel from Updates | Unfollow it | You can't search for it afterwards. Admins must dismiss themselves first. |
| No alerts from a channel | Tap the notification bell in the channel | Muted is already the default. |
| Remove the Updates tab | No setting found in WhatsApp's help | The tab stays. |
Hide someone's status
- Tap Updates.
- Tap the person's status.
- Tap More (three dots) › Hide with their name › Hide.
You can also press and hold the status and tap Hide › Hide. WhatsApp says hidden statuses still reach you, but they go to the Hidden updates section of the Updates tab instead of the main Status list. To see them, tap Updates › Hidden updates (if you follow channels, swipe left on statuses and tap Hidden). To undo it, open the hidden status and tap More › Unhide.
Hiding is one way. The person can still see your status, and WhatsApp says they can still mention you in a status that shows up in your chat. To stop that, WhatsApp suggests blocking them or archiving the chat. If you want them not to see yours, change who can see your status in status privacy.
Mute status notifications
WhatsApp says status notifications are muted by default. If you turned them on for someone, open their status in Updates, tap More › Mute notifications › Mute. From Chats: search for the person, press and hold the chat, tap More › View Contact › Notifications, and turn on Mute notifications under Statuses. Once you hide someone's status, you no longer get status notifications from them.
Unfollow or mute channels
Channels live in the Updates tab too. WhatsApp says you are not subscribed to any channel automatically, and channel notifications are muted when you follow one. To get a channel out of the Updates tab, unfollow it:
- Tap Updates and open the channel.
- Tap More › Unfollow.
- Tap Unfollow again to confirm.
You can also press and hold the channel and tap Unfollow. After that you won't get its notifications or see it in Updates. If you only want silence, open the channel and tap the notification bell; a bell with a slash means notifications are off.
WhatsApp's privacy notes also say that in some countries it may show ads in Status and Channels, and that admins can pay to promote a channel in the Channels directory. Those are not something you can switch off from the Updates tab, as far as the help center shows.
Can you remove the Updates tab?
We could not find a setting for it in WhatsApp's help as of October 2026. Statuses and channels always have their place in Updates. If the tab is the problem, hiding the people whose statuses pull you in and unfollowing channels leaves it mostly empty. For quiet times, WhatsApp points to iPhone Focus to silence its notifications for a set time.
What minulo does and doesn't do
minulo does not open WhatsApp and cannot hide its Updates tab. It is an iPhone app for feeds such as Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Snapchat: it opens their official websites inside the app with Reels, Shorts, Spotlight and For You hidden, and DMs keep working. Hiding is free. minulo can also lock official apps with Screen Time, free for up to 2 hours per block; while an app is locked its notifications don't arrive, and minulo sends none of its own. If you lock apps, leave WhatsApp out so your messages still come in. There is no Android version.
Can I hide the Updates tab on WhatsApp?
We could not find a setting that removes it in WhatsApp's help as of October 2026. You can hide individual statuses, which moves them to Hidden updates, and unfollow channels, which removes them from the Updates tab.
How do I hide someone's status on WhatsApp?
Tap Updates, tap their status, then More, Hide and Hide again. Or press and hold the status and tap Hide twice. The status still arrives but goes to Hidden updates, and you stop getting status notifications from that person.
If I hide someone's status, can they still see mine?
Yes. WhatsApp says hiding or unhiding someone's status doesn't change whether they can see yours. To exclude them, change your status privacy.
Are WhatsApp status notifications on by default?
No. WhatsApp says status notifications are muted by default, and you can unmute them for individual people. Channel notifications are also muted by default when you follow a channel.
How do I get a channel out of my Updates tab?
Unfollow it. Open the channel from Updates, tap More, then Unfollow, and confirm. After that it no longer appears in Updates and you won't be able to find it in search.
Sources
- WhatsApp Help Center: How to hide and unhide statuses
- WhatsApp Help Center: How to manage status notifications
- WhatsApp Help Center: How to unfollow a channel
- WhatsApp Help Center: About WhatsApp Channels
- WhatsApp Help Center: Additional Information about using Status and Channels
- WhatsApp Help Center: How to manage your notifications
- App Store (US): minulo
