By: Benedict AbuBakarr Conteh
Whatsapp has unveiled a new feature called Group Message History, designed to make group conversations more seamless and inclusive for new members while maintaining user privacy.
According to an announcement published on the company’s official blog, the new feature allows group admins and members to share recent messages with newly added participants, enabling them to quickly catch up on ongoing discussions without disrupting the flow of conversation.
The feature, described as one of the platform’s most requested updates, ensures that group chats remain organized and welcoming. When a new member is added, users will see an option to send between 25 and 100 recent messages, providing relevant context without overwhelming the recipient.
Importantly, WhatsApp emphasized that Group Message History remains protected by end-to-end encryption, the same security standard applied to all personal messages on the platform. This means only members of the group can access the shared message history, reinforcing the app’s commitment to privacy.
Unlike previous methods where users relied on screenshots or forwarded messages to brief new participants, the new feature eliminates the need for such workarounds. Message history sharing is optional and must be actively selected. Additionally, group admins retain the authority to disable the setting if they prefer not to allow message history sharing within their groups. However, admins will always have the ability to share message history when necessary.
For transparency, WhatsApp stated that whenever message history is sent, all group members will be notified. The shared messages will display clear timestamps and sender information and will appear visually distinct from regular messages to avoid confusion.
The company noted that the rollout of Group Message History will be gradual, reaching users in phases. The feature reflects WhatsApp’s ongoing efforts to improve group messaging experiences across devices while maintaining high privacy standards.
With billions of users worldwide, WhatsApp continues to evolve its platform by introducing features aimed at improving communication efficiency without compromising security.
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