According to Digital Trends, WhatsApp is testing a new “group chat history sharing” feature in its latest iOS beta, as reported by WABetaInfo. The feature allows a group admin, when adding a new member, to selectively share the most recent 25, 50, 75, or 100 messages from the group, but only those sent within the last 14 days. This gives the new participant a window into the ongoing discussion with full timestamps, instead of joining a conversation blind. The feature is currently opt-in and not enabled by default, so admins must choose to share the history. It’s available to beta testers on iOS via TestFlight now, with the infrastructure in place to roll out to all users on Android and iOS in a future stable update.
Why this matters
Look, we’ve all been there. You get added to a buzzing WhatsApp group and you’re immediately hit with a “???” or have to awkwardly ask for a recap. It’s a small but genuine friction point in digital communication. This feature basically automates the courtesy that good admins already try to provide. It formalizes a best practice.
And here’s the thing: while it seems simple, this is a big deal for professional or project-based groups. Imagine joining a new work team or a community planning committee on WhatsApp. Being able to read the last 100 messages is a huge leg up. You can understand decisions, see the tone, and get up to speed instantly. It turns a chaotic entry into a structured onboarding.
The bigger picture
So why did this take so long? WhatsApp has famously prioritized simplicity and privacy, often at the expense of features common in other apps. Sharing message history touches on both. They’ve had to figure out a way to do it that feels secure and controlled—hence the admin-only, opt-in model with strict limits. It’s a very WhatsApp way of solving a problem: useful, but with guardrails.
This also feels like part of Meta’s broader push to make WhatsApp more viable for business and organized community use. They’re slowly adding the kind of tools that make groups less messy and more functional. Is it a direct play against more structured platforms like Slack or Discord? Not really. But it’s about removing little annoyances that might push people to use those other apps for serious conversations.
I think we’ll see this become a default expectation pretty quickly once it rolls out. The manual recap is officially on notice.
