WhatsApp introduces four new features for group chats
Meta has announced four WhatsApp updates to make groups easier to manage: pinning messages indefinitely, sharing chat history later, group-only statuses and a new mentions filter.
Author: Editorial teamPublished: 2 min read
Meta has announced four new WhatsApp features designed to tidy up group chats and help people find important information faster. The changes are coming to the Android and iOS apps. The news was reported by 9to5mac on 30 October 2026 and by Antyweb on 31 October 2026.
What is changing
Messages pinned with no time limit. Until now, a message could be pinned for 24 hours, seven days or 30 days. Users will now be able to keep one at the top of a chat for as long as they like. This is useful in large groups, for example for meeting addresses, group rules or schedules.
Sharing chat history later. WhatsApp already let people pass recent messages to new members when they joined. Now this can also be done some time afterwards: tap a group member's name in the chat and choose the option to share history. The developers stress that the shared history is still protected by end-to-end encryption.
Group statuses. A user can post a short update visible only to members of a chosen group, rather than to a wider circle of contacts. Other members can react to it and add their own statuses. The content disappears after 24 hours, like ordinary statuses.
"Mentions and replies" filter. It collects unread group conversations in which someone has tagged the user or replied to their message. It also covers notifications sent to all members using @all, as well as community chats. The filter is optional and can be removed from the main filter bar.
When the features will arrive
WhatsApp has already begun rolling out the new features on Android and iOS, but not everyone will see them straight after updating the app. According to Meta, more accounts will get access over the coming weeks.
The mentions filter appeared earlier in a beta version of WhatsApp for Android (2.26.42.12), as reported by Antyweb. At that time Meta had not given a date for a stable release.
What this means for you
Many people living in the UK use WhatsApp for groups with family, neighbours, schools or work. Indefinite pinning will make it possible to keep an important address or group rules at the top of a chat. Sharing history will make it easier to bring new people up to speed without resending messages. No settings change automatically, and the features will appear after updating the app once your account is included in the rollout.
Sources
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