If I am not in a person's contacts, will I see their status in WhatsApp - briefly?
No, if you are not in someone's contacts on WhatsApp, you will not be able to see their status updates. This is because WhatsApp statuses are only visible to those who have the user's phone number saved in their contacts list.
If I am not in a person's contacts, will I see their status in WhatsApp - in detail?
The visibility of someone's WhatsApp status is determined by the privacy settings they have chosen for their account. By default, anyone who has your phone number saved in their contacts can view your status updates. However, if you have adjusted your privacy settings to restrict access to your status, only those whom you have explicitly allowed will be able to see it.
If someone has not added you to their contacts or if they have restricted their status visibility, you will not be able to see their WhatsApp status. This is a feature designed to protect user privacy and ensure that status updates are shared only with intended recipients.
To summarize, whether or not you can view someone's WhatsApp status depends on their individual privacy settings and contact list. If they have limited the visibility of their status or if your number is not in their contacts, you will not have access to it.