WhatsApp Launches Beta Feature to Share Recent Chats With New Group Members

WhatsApp Rolls Out New Feature To Streamline Group Onboarding

Published January 28,2026 at 10:00 AM PST

New Functionality Aims To Enhance Group Chat Experience

Meta’s WhatsApp is currently testing a new feature,available to select beta users,designed to quickly bring new members up to speed in group chats. The functionality allows existing group participants to share the last 100 messages—from the previous 14 days—with individuals recently added to the conversation. This initiative addresses a common pain point for new group members who frequently enough find themselves lost in a lengthy and rapidly evolving chat history.

How The Chat-Sharing Mechanism Works

the feature aims to minimize the awkwardness and potential confusion faced by newcomers. When a user adds a new member to a group, they will now have the option to share a curated selection of recent messages. These shared messages will be visually distinguished,utilizing color-highlighting to make them easily identifiable for the new participant. Furthermore,WhatsApp will clearly display the name of the user who initiated the message sharing,ensuring full openness and accountability within the group.

Security and Implementation details

Accessing the feature involves navigating to the group facts screen and selecting the “Add Member” option. After choosing a contact from the user’s list, an option to share recent messages will appear. Users can customize the number of messages shared, choosing to send up to the maximum of 100 or a smaller subset. Crucially, all shared messages remain protected by WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption, maintaining the platform’s commitment to user privacy and data security. These messages utilize the existing encryption keys on the new member’s device.

Feature	details
Maximum Messages Shared	100
Timeframe of Messages	Last 14 Days
Encryption	End-to-End
Visibility of sharer	Displayed to New Member

Wider Release Anticipated

While currently available only to select beta testers on both iOS (through TestFlight) and Android platforms, a full public rollout is anticipated in the coming weeks. WhatsApp has not yet provided a definite launch date, but the concurrent testing across operating systems suggests a relatively swift release is planned. According to Statista, WhatsApp boasts over two billion active users globally as of Q4 2023, highlighting the significant impact of any new feature release.(Statista)

The Evolution of Group Communication

This update reflects a broader industry trend toward enhancing group communication tools. Features like message reactions, threaded replies (also recently tested by WhatsApp), and now, streamlined onboarding, demonstrate a commitment to improving the usability and overall experience of group messaging.These upgrades seek to address the inherent challenges of managing complex conversations in large groups, making them more efficient and inclusive. Do you find yourself frequently struggling to catch up in new group chats? How would this feature change your experience?

Do you think this feature will meaningfully improve the experience of joining new whatsapp groups?

Share your thoughts in the comments below and spread the word!

How does the “Share Recent Chats” feature work in WhatsApp?

WhatsApp Launches Beta Feature to Share Recent Chats with New Group members

WhatsApp is rolling out a new beta feature designed to streamline onboarding for new members in group chats. This update allows existing group participants to easily share the moast recent conversations with newcomers, bringing them up to speed quickly and efficiently. The feature addresses a common pain point for WhatsApp users – the often-disorienting experience of joining a busy group mid-conversation.

How the ‘Share Recent chat’ Feature Works

Currently available to beta testers on both Android and iOS, the functionality is straightforward:

1. adding a New Member: When a new member is added to a WhatsApp group, existing members will see a new option appear.
2. initiating the Share: This option, likely labeled “Share Recent Chats” or similar, will initiate the process of sending the last few messages to the new joiner.
3. Recipient View: The new group member will receive these messages as a separate, dedicated chat thread – a snapshot of the recent group activity. This allows them to quickly grasp the context of ongoing discussions without having to scroll through potentially hundreds of previous messages.
4. Temporary Chat: This shared chat is designed to be temporary, disappearing after the new member has had a chance to catch up.

Benefits of Sharing Recent Chats

This seemingly small addition offers significant advantages for whatsapp group dynamics:

* Improved Onboarding: new members feel instantly included and understand the current topics of discussion. This reduces the initial awkwardness of joining an established group.

* Reduced Redundancy: It minimizes the need for repeated explanations or re-hashing of previous conversations. Rather of multiple individuals explaining the same thing, the recent chat history provides a self-service solution.

* Enhanced Group Engagement: Faster onboarding encourages new members to participate more actively and contribute to the conversation.

* Contextual Awareness: Newcomers can understand inside jokes, ongoing projects, or crucial decisions that were made prior to their arrival.

* Time Saving: Both for the new member and existing participants, as it reduces the time spent getting everyone on the same page.

Who is This feature For?

This update is particularly beneficial for:

* Large Groups: Groups with a high volume of messages and frequent member additions will see the most significant impact.

* Project-Based Groups: teams collaborating on projects can quickly bring new members up to speed on progress and tasks.

* Community Groups: Organizations and communities using WhatsApp for communication can ensure new members are well-informed.

* Event Planning Groups: Sharing recent chats can quickly inform new members about logistical details and updates.

Beta Testing and Wider Rollout

as with all beta features, the “Share Recent Chats” functionality is currently undergoing testing. WhatsApp relies on feedback from beta users to identify and resolve any bugs or usability issues before a wider public release.

The rollout timeline remains unconfirmed, but based on typical WhatsApp update patterns, we can anticipate a broader release within the next few weeks or months. Users can enroll in the WhatsApp beta program through the Google Play Store (Android) or TestFlight (iOS) to gain early access to new features.

Privacy Considerations

WhatsApp has always prioritized user privacy.It’s expected that the shared chat history will be end-to-end encrypted, just like all other WhatsApp communications.the temporary nature of the shared chat also helps to address potential privacy concerns,ensuring that the information isn’t permanently stored or accessible.Users will likely have control over weather or not they want to share recent chats with new members, offering an additional layer of privacy.

Future Developments

This feature could potentially evolve in the future. Possible enhancements include:

* customizable Chat History Length: Allowing users to select the number of messages to share (e.g., last 5, last 10, last 24 hours).

* Highlighted Key Information: Automatically identifying and highlighting critically important messages or decisions within the shared chat.

* Integration with Group Description: Linking the shared chat to the group description for additional context.

* Admin Controls: Giving group admins more control over the sharing of recent chats.