WhatsApp is the messaging app of choice for billions of users worldwide and is one ofour top recommended messaging appstoo. That’s because the app is available on multiple platforms, and it strikes a suitable balance between features, security measures, and inclusivity. To promote the latter, WhatsApp recently introduced Communities as well. Earlier this month, we also found Meta working onmessage history sharing in group chats. Now, we have our first look at WhatsApp’s description of how the feature will work.
When you join a new server on Discord, you have access to older messages in the server’s channels by default. However, on WhatsApp, new members of a group chat don’t have access to older messages. That could change soon because a recent beta suggested history sharing is in the works. After digging through the latest beta build (v2.23.18.17) available on the Play Store,WABetaInfodiscovered a new info screen, possibly introducing the feature to group admins.
This screen explains the finer details, like how WhatsApp will only show message history from the past 24 hours to new participants. It also reiterates Meta’s focus on privacy, confirming that all messages shared with the new joiners will be end-to–end encrypted, just like other texts and media shared on the platform. The screen also has a toggle, so admins can turn on history sharing for their group right there, without going into the group settings. However, the toggle seems to be off by default, although WABetaInfo doesn’t confirm. An opt-in feature like this could give admins more control, but seeing how history sharing is accepted on rival platforms, we would like to see the toggle switched on by default when the feature rolls out.
This change would make group chats more inclusive, giving newbies instant access to the context of ongoing conversations. The feature could be particularly useful for Communities, where granular control over such chat settings is essential. We would also like to see more options for the history sharing, which reveal messages older than 24 hours — an invaluable feature for inactive or slow-moving group chats. That said, a lot could change before the feature rolls out or even reaches beta testers in the coming months.
