WhatsApp is finally tackling one of the most awkward moments in group chats: adding someone new and immediately having to explain everything they missed.
A new beta feature now lets users share recent chat history with newly added group members, and it is already live for a small number of TestFlight testers. If this sounds long overdue, that is because it probably is.
How sharing recent messages actually works
According to WABetaInfo, WhatsApp’s latest beta allows group admins or members adding someone new to optionally share recent messages from the group. The limit is up to 100 messages from the last 14 days, which feels like a sensible middle ground between context and oversharing.
Once you add a new member, WhatsApp may prompt you with an option to share recent messages. You can choose the full 100 messages or dial it back if the conversation includes things that do not need to be revisited.
Messages shared this way are visually highlighted in a different color, making it clear to the new member that these are older messages being passed along for context, not part of the live conversation.
Why this is genuinely useful
Anyone who has ever joined a work group, family planning chat, or event coordination group late knows the pain. You scroll up endlessly, miss half the context, and eventually ask a question that was already answered three times.
This feature helps new members quickly get up to speed without forcing the rest of the group to rehash everything. It also brings WhatsApp closer to parity with other messaging platforms that already handle chat history more gracefully.
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Transparency and privacy are built in
One concern with sharing chat history is obvious. What if someone quietly shares messages without the rest of the group knowing?
WhatsApp seems to have thought this through. When recent messages are shared, the app posts a system message in the group clearly stating who shared the messages with the new member. There is no silent forwarding happening in the background.
WABetaInfo explains that:
“WhatsApp ensures transparency by letting everyone know that recent messages have been sent to the new member.”
The messages are shared using the encryption key on the device of the person adding the member, and the transferred messages remain protected by end to end encryption once delivered.
When to expect a wider rollout
Right now, this feature is limited to select beta testers on iOS via TestFlight, and it is also being tested on Android. As usual with WhatsApp betas, there is no official release date yet.
That said, features that appear on both iOS and Android betas typically make it to stable builds sooner rather than later. This one also solves a very real, very common problem, which makes it a strong candidate for a relatively quick rollout.
