WhatsApp Group Chat Features Add Permanent Pins and Group Status
WhatsApp is rolling out four new WhatsApp group chat features on Android and iOS: messages that stay pinned forever, chat history you can send to members after they join, Status updates shared only with one group, and a filter for unread mentions and replies. Meta’s messaging app announced the changes in a WhatsApp Blog post on October 29, 2026, and says they are arriving gradually, so not every account will see them at once.
What Are the New WhatsApp Group Chat Features?
The update targets a familiar problem: coming back to a busy group and having to scroll through hundreds of messages to find the few that matter to you. Here is what changes.
Pin messages with no time limit
Until now, pinning a message in a chat meant choosing how long it stayed at the top: 24 hours, 7 days or 30 days. WhatsApp now adds an option to keep a pinned message there indefinitely. That is useful for group rules, a recurring meeting link, school schedules or event details that would otherwise have to be pinned again every month.
Send message history to people who already joined
Earlier this year WhatsApp let members share recent messages with someone at the moment they add that person to a group, using an on/off toggle. The new version works after the fact: tap a member’s name in the chat and you can send them recent messages retroactively. WhatsApp says the shared history stays end-to-end encrypted, like the rest of your personal chats.
Group Status for a single group
Group status lets you post a Status update that only the members of one specific group can see. WhatsApp’s own example is keeping running club updates away from the family chat. Everyone in that group can view the update, react to it and add their own, and like regular Status posts, group statuses disappear after 24 hours.
A Mentions and replies filter
The chat list gets a new filter that shows every unread group conversation where you were mentioned or received a direct reply, including messages sent with @all. It sits alongside the existing filters such as Unread, Favorites and Groups, so you can jump straight to the threads that actually need your answer.
Why It Matters
Group chats are where WhatsApp competes most directly with Telegram, Discord and Apple’s iMessage, and most of these changes are about reducing noise rather than adding new ways to post. The permanent pin and the mentions filter are quality-of-life fixes that long-time users have worked around for years, while group Status quietly turns Status into something closer to the “close friends” lists other social apps already offer.
The update also continues a busy month for the app. WhatsApp recently started testing message scheduling on iOS and expanded its payment features for Android users, while beta builds show work on a channel migration tool.
When Will You Get the Update?
WhatsApp has not given a country-by-country schedule. The features are rolling out gradually on both Android and iOS, so keeping the app updated from Google Play or the App Store is the only way to speed things up. If you do not see the Mentions and replies filter or the “forever” pin option yet, it should appear in the coming weeks as the rollout reaches more accounts.
In the same post, WhatsApp reminded users of a few existing group tools: replying privately to one member, turning off “allow multiple answers” in polls and member tags that show your role in a group, such as “Treasurer” in a volunteer chat.
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