WhatsApp has rolled out four new features to provide users with a more organized experience in group chats. According to the company's official blog announcement, the innovations are grouped under keeping important messages more visible, facilitating access to chat history for new group members, in-group status sharing, and finding targeted messages more quickly.
One of the notable changes was made to message pinning. While previously a specific duration had to be selected for pinned messages, the new arrangement allows important messages to be kept permanently at the top of the chat. This feature can be used for messages frequently referred to in the group, such as event details, directions, payment information, or IBAN details.
WhatsApp has also expanded message history sharing, which makes it easier for members who join a group later to catch up on the conversation flow. Now, after a person joins a group, recent messages can be forwarded to them by tapping on their name in the chat. It was stated that the forwarded messages will also be protected under end-to-end encryption, just as they are in personal chats.
Another innovation is group statuses. Users will now be able to share statuses specific to a certain group. Thus, content shared for a running club, school group, or friend circle can be limited to the members of that group without being opened to all contacts in the address book. These status shares will disappear after 24 hours, just like classic status updates.
The fourth feature highlights messages that directly concern the user in high-traffic groups. With the new chat filter, unread group messages where the user's name is mentioned or where they are directly replied to can be listed on a single screen. Mass mentions made with the “@everyone” tag will also be included in the filter.
These new tools are intended to make message tracking easier, especially in active groups with many members, and to prevent important information from getting lost in the chat flow.
News Source: 12punto
