• New members can now see previous messages in WhatsApp groups
• Group admins control how many past messages are visible and who can access them

WhatsApp has rolled out a new group chat history feature, allowing new members to view recent messages sent before they joined.

Previously, newcomers could only see messages sent after joining, sometimes causing confusion or forcing members to manually recap prior conversations.

The feature is fully optional and can be customized by group admins, who decide whether to share past messages with new members and how many—starting from 25 messages.

This flexibility lets admins tailor the experience based on the group type, whether professional, community, or personal.

WhatsApp emphasized that privacy remains a priority: the chat history feature maintains end-to-end encryption, ensuring only group members can access messages.

The update does not affect WhatsApp’s encryption standards, and control over which messages appear remains strictly within the group.

For transparency, group members are notified when chat history is shared with a new member, including timestamps and sender details, with forwarded messages marked differently from regular ones.

The feature is now rolling out globally on Android and iOS, and users are encouraged to update their app to access it.