WhatsApp has introduced and is testing new features aimed at improving how users communicate in private and group chats.
WhatsApp is also testing a new feature designed to improve group chats. The company is addressing a long-standing issue where new group members are unable to view messages sent before they joined.
According to a report by WABetaInfo, WhatsApp is testing a tool that allows existing group members to share parts of recent chat history with new invitees. The feature allows up to 100 previous messages to be shared, limited to conversations from the last 14 days.
When chat history is shared, the messages appear in a different color for the new member. Other group participants also receive a notification confirming that chat history has been shared.
The feature is disabled by default. Users must manually approve chat history sharing when adding a new member. WhatsApp will also display confirmation prompts during the first three uses of the feature, after which the prompts will stop appearing.
The group chat history sharing option is currently available to users of the WhatsApp Android beta. WhatsApp has not announced a timeline for its release to all users.Â
In a separate development, WhatsApp released an update for its iOS application, moving it to version 26.1.10.72. The update introduces a sticker suggestion feature that appears while users type messages. The feature allows stickers to be suggested automatically when a related emoji is entered in the chat bar.
The stickers are displayed as previews directly above the keyboard, enabling users to send them with a single tap. The system relies on predefined emoji-to-sticker links created during the sticker design process. WhatsApp said the feature is intended to reduce the time spent searching for stickers and to support quicker visual responses during conversations.
The sticker suggestion function is currently available only to selected beta testers using the WhatsApp beta for iOS distributed through TestFlight. A wider rollout is expected in the coming weeks.
WhatsApp has not issued an official public statement on either feature.
