WhatsApp is now testing a highly requested feature – the option to share a group’s recent chat history with new members! This means that if you add a new person to a group, you can decide whether or not to show them the last few messages.
Currently, this feature is only available to a small number of beta testers (testing is underway on TestFlight for iOS and also on Android), but it will be available to everyone soon.
How Does This Feature Work?
When you go to the group info screen, select “Add Member,” and add someone, an option may appear at the bottom of the screen – “Share recent messages.” From here, you can choose how many messages to share with the new member. A maximum of 100 recent messages can be shared, which were sent in the group within the last 14 days. You can also choose to share fewer messages; you have full control!
The shared messages are highlighted in a different color in the new member’s chat, so they can understand that these are older messages. And most importantly – for transparency, a new system message appears in the group: “XYZ shared recent messages with the new member.” Everyone knows what happened, no secrets.
Security is also solid – these messages remain end-to-end encrypted. The messages and encryption key are used from the device of the person adding the member to securely reach the new member.
Why is This Feature Useful?
In many groups, this happens – someone new joins and keeps asking, “What was that about?”, “Where was that link?”, “What was decided?” Now, they can directly see the last 100 messages (which might contain important discussions or information), reducing confusion in the group and helping the new person catch up quickly.
Apps like Telegram and Signal already have this feature, and now WhatsApp is also working on it. This feature is visible in the beta version, and it will be available for normal users soon – the official date hasn’t been announced yet, but since the beta is running, a rollout is expected soon.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Shared Messages | Maximum 100 recent messages |
| Time Period | Messages from the last 14 days |
| Trigger | Option on the “Add Member” screen when adding a new member |
| Highlight | Shared messages appear in a different color |
| Transparency | A system message appears in the group indicating who shared the messages |
| Encryption | End-to-end encrypted |
| Availability | Currently available to beta testers (TestFlight iOS and Android beta) |
| Official Rollout | Expected soon, exact date not yet announced |
Pros and Cons of this new feature
Pros:
- New members will get context quickly, reducing confusion in the group.
- You decide how much to share – full control.
- Everyone will know that messages have been shared, no secrets.
- End-to-end encryption keeps it safe.
- Many people requested this feature, and now it’s here!
Cons:
- Currently only in beta, normal users will have to wait.
- If the wrong person shares, there might be a slight privacy issue (but transparency helps prevent this).
- Maximum only 100 messages and 14 days – very old chats won’t be visible.
Conclusion
This is a very useful update from WhatsApp – it will make group chats even smoother. New members will understand everything without having to ask repeatedly.
It’s currently being tested in beta, so it will be available in everyone’s WhatsApp soon. If you’re a group admin, think about it – will you share the history with new members or not? Let me know in the comments what you think of this feature and whether you’ll use it or skip it?
