WhatsApp is adding four new group features: you can now pin a message with no end date, send recent chat history to someone after they join, post a status only one group can see, and filter your chats to show only the groups where someone mentioned you. These new WhatsApp group features are rolling out now, so you may need to update the app to see them.
The short version
WhatsApp announced four group chat updates on 29 October 2026. They make busy groups easier to follow, and one of them changes what new members can read.
- You can now pin an important message in a group with no time limit, instead of choosing one up front.
- You can send between 25 and 100 recent messages to someone after they join, and everyone in the group sees a notice when you do.
- Group status lets you post a 24-hour update that only one group can see.
- A new “Mentions and replies” filter shows only the unread groups where someone tagged you, replied to you or used @all.
- The features arrive gradually, so update WhatsApp and check again over the coming weeks if you do not see them yet.
The four new WhatsApp group features
1. Pin a message forever. Until now, pinning a message meant choosing how long it stayed at the top. WhatsApp says you now have the option to keep it pinned with no time limit. This is the one that helps the most groups: the meeting address, the account number for the group contribution, the house rules. You can still unpin it any time.
2. Send message history after someone joins. When someone joins, for example through an invite link, a “Send message history” link appears in the notice in the chat. Tap it to send them recent messages so they can catch up. WhatsApp says you can share between 25 and 100 messages, the shared messages stay end-to-end encrypted, and they look different from normal messages so the new member can tell them apart.
3. Group status. You can now post a status, the kind that disappears after 24 hours, to one specific group instead of all your contacts. Members can view it, react to it and post their own. Think of a family group seeing the wedding photos while your work contacts do not.
4. Filter by mentions and replies. A new “Mentions and replies” filter sits with the other filters at the top of your Chats list. Tap it to see only the unread groups where someone tagged you, replied to your message or used @all. If you are in 30 groups and only care about the messages meant for you, this is the button.
What group admins should check first
In plain terms: the history feature means a new member can read what was said before they arrived, if someone chooses to send it. Nothing is shared automatically. Someone has to tap to send it, and everyone in the group gets a notice with the time and the name of the person who sent it.
WhatsApp says admins can switch message history off for their group, and members can decline to send it. Admins can still share history even when it is switched off. So if your group discusses private matters, such as a family dispute, staff issues or members’ money, decide as admins whether history sharing should be on, and tell the group.
- Open the group, tap the group name and look through the group settings for message history. If you do not see the option yet, the update has not reached your phone.
- Pin the one message people ask about most, and set it to stay pinned.
- Remind members that anything they post can be shared with people who join later.
How to get the new WhatsApp group features
WhatsApp is releasing these updates in stages, so not everyone has them yet. Update WhatsApp from the Google Play Store or the App Store, then check again over the next few weeks. You can read the details in WhatsApp’s own announcement.
WhatsApp also used the announcement to point out three group tools many people miss: replying privately to one person from a group message, setting a poll so each person can choose only one answer, and member tags that show someone’s role in a group.
Busy groups are also where scams spread. Before you act on a message asking for money or a code, read our guides on checking whether a loan app is registered and on the Meta AI settings worth checking.
