The Group Message History feature gives group admins and existing members the option to share between 25 and up to 100 recent messages with someone who has just been added. Previously, newcomers could only see messages sent after they joined, often leading to confusion in active group chats.
Read: HEC makes AI course mandatory for all degree programmes from 2026
According to WhatsApp’s official announcement on its blog, the history is not shared automatically, and must be manually selected when adding the person to the group. Shared messages appear visually distinct from regular chat, include sender names and timestamps, and all participants are notified when such history is sent.
Admins also have the ability to disable the feature entirely for their groups if they choose.
WhatsApp says the rollout has started on both Android and iOS devices, and will reach users globally over the coming weeks. Messages shared through the feature remain end-to-end encrypted, maintaining the platform’s existing privacy protections.