{
  "id": 17307916,
  "title": "WhatsApp announces four new features to make group chats easier to manage",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/30/whatsapp-announces-four-new-features-to-make-group-chats-easier-to",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-30T23:36:34.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "9to5Mac",
    "slug": "9to5mac",
    "url": "https://9to5mac.com/2026/10/30/whatsapp-announces-four-new-features-to-make-group-chats-easier-to-manage/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "WhatsApp has announced four new features aimed at simplifying group chat management and keeping users informed about ongoing conversations. According to their blog post, the filter drawer in the conversations list will now include a \"Mentions and replies\" button, in addition to filters like Groups, Favorites, Unread, and custom filters. Tapping this button will display only unread group conversations where the user was mentioned or received a direct reply, including \"@all\" messages.\n\nMoreover, WhatsApp will now allow users to pin messages indefinitely in group chats, rather than being limited to 24 hours, 7 days, or 30-day options. Another feature that will be added to group conversations is the ability to send recent messages retroactively to someone who has just joined the group by simply tapping their name. Previously, this was only possible when adding someone to a group.\n\nLastly, WhatsApp is introducing group status sharing, which enables users to post updates visible only to members of a specific group. These statuses can be viewed, reacted to, and new ones can be added, but they will disappear after 24 hours. As with most WhatsApp updates, it may take some time for all four features to be rolled out to everyone.",
  "summary": "In a blog post this week, WhatsApp confirmed that it is rolling out four new features designed to make it easier to manage group chats and keep track of what’s going on in each one. Here are the details. more…",
  "key_points": [
    "Mentions and replies button added to filter drawer in group chats",
    "Pin messages indefinitely in group chats, no time limit",
    "Send retroactive messages to new group members by tapping their name"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}