WhatsApp adds Group Message History to help new members catch up faster

This new 'Group Message History' feature remains end-to-end encrypted like all other personal messages, giving the user a quicker, and more private way to keep conversations flowing.

In January 2026, Meta launched 'Strict Account Settings', a lockdown-style feature that promises to thwart highly complex Pegasus-like spyware attacks on WhatsApp users.

Now, the Mark Zuckerberg-owned entity has introduced 'Group Message History', which offers new members the option to catch up on the group.

Like the disappearing messages, WhatsApp took its own sweet time to bring the 'Group Message History.

It also noted that this new feature remains end-to-end encrypted like all other personal messages, giving the user a quicker, more private way to keep conversations flowing, with no more screenshots and no more unnecessary message forwarding.

When the admin adds someone new to a group chat, the latter will see an option to send recent messages to them, from 25 up to 100 maximum. This feature keeps things simple, ensuring new members only need to read the most relevant and recent context.

WhatsApp Group Chat history feature launched.

For transparency, when a message history is sent, everyone in the group is notified, with clear timestamps and sender information, and message history is visually distinct from regular messages.

The 'Group Message History' feature is being rolled out to all WhatsApp versions-- iOS, Android and Web, in phases. It will take some time, probably a few weeks, to reach all corners of the world.

In a related development, WhatsApp is planning to bring voice and video calling options to the WhatsApp Web version. This is also a long-requested feature, as it offers the convenience of making a call from WhatsApp on computers without the need to install the application.

With web cam, users will also be able to make WhatsApp video calls directly from the browser. This feature is expected to come to messenger app soon.

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