WhatsApp has announced Group Status, a status update you post to one specific group. Only the members of that group can see it. The company announced it on October 29, along with three other changes to group chats.
How WhatsApp Group Status works
You post a Group Status inside a chosen group, not to everyone who normally sees your status. Everyone in that group can view it, react to it and add a status of their own. Like regular statuses, these updates disappear after 24 hours.
WhatsApp’s own example is a simple one. What you share with your running club doesn’t have to reach the family chat. The company summed up the idea in its October 29 blog post:
Group status makes it simple to share casual updates with specific groups.
One thing to weigh before posting: a Group Status goes to everyone in that group. In a large neighbourhood or school group, that can include people who aren’t in your contacts. Check who’s in the group before you share anything personal.
Three other WhatsApp group chat updates
The same announcement covers three smaller changes aimed at busy group chats.
Pin messages with no time limit
There’s now an option to keep a message pinned with no time limit. You don’t have to choose a pin duration up front.
Send message history after someone joins
Earlier this year, WhatsApp let you share recent messages when adding someone to a group, using an on/off toggle. Now you can also do it after they’ve joined, by tapping their name in the chat. WhatsApp says those shared messages stay end-to-end encrypted.
The sender chooses whether to share that history. Even so, a newcomer can then read earlier conversation that other members may not have expected them to see.
A new “Mentions and replies” filter
A new chat filter shows every unread group conversation where you were mentioned or got a direct reply. That includes messages sent with the @all tag in WhatsApp group chats. It should make the messages meant for you easier to find in noisy groups.
When you’ll get these features
WhatsApp’s blog post doesn’t say when every user will see these features. It gives no rollout timeline, regions or app version. The official screenshots show the Android app, but the post doesn’t list supported platforms.
If Group Status hasn’t appeared in your groups yet, keep WhatsApp updated and check again later. For another recent chat addition, see how scheduled messages work in WhatsApp’s Android beta.
Source: WhatsApp Blog
