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WhatsApp has announced that admins and members can choose to send up to 100 recent messages to new members joining a group. In its latest update on 19 February 2026 (Thursday), the messaging platform announced changes to simplify onboarding new members into groups. This move will eliminate interruptions in group chats.
The Group Message History feature simplifies the group onboarding process by eliminating the need to manually forward older messages. “We’re excited to introduce Group Message History, a feature that makes group chats even more welcoming without interruption. Now, group admins and members can choose to send recent messages to new members so they can catch up quickly,” WhatsApp mentioned in its blog post.
When the admin adds someone new to a group chat, a new option to send recent messages to them will appear. The user can send from 25 to 100 messages, allowing new members to read the most relevant, recent context. The whole group can easily see the shared messages.
“Group Message History remains end-to-end encrypted like all other personal messages, giving you a quicker, more private way to keep conversations flowing, with no more screenshots and no more unnecessary message forwarding,” as stated in a WhatsApp blog post.
Group Message History on WhatsApp is designed to be optional and configurable. The chats will remain end-to-end encrypted, which allows only group participants to access shared messages. The company emphasized that this update does not weaken its encryption standards and that visibility within the group is controlled by its members.
“For transparency, when 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,” WhatsApp mentioned.
Also Read: How to Transfer WhatsApp to a New Phone Without Losing Chat History
The rollout of Group Message History has begun globally and will soon be available on both Android and iOS. Users are advised to update the app to the latest version to access the new function.
The updated version of WhatsApp strengthens its group ecosystem by improving usability, continuity, and user control. As competition intensifies, these new features and upgrades will help maintain WhatsApp’s leadership in the digital communications market.
