There can be few WhatsApp users who are not part of at least a couple of chat groups. This could be friends, family, a local club, or something connected to work or school. If you are in this number, Meta has some impressive upgrades for you.
WhatsApp groups are finally gaining the ability to send a message that everyone in the group is notified about thanks to the arrival of @all support. But this is far from being the only thing that WhatsApp groups are benefiting from.
Announcing the @all feature, Meta says: “Alert everyone in your group chat about important, time-sensitive messages. No more tagging people one by one or hoping your message gets noticed in a busy group chat. Use @all to notify everyone about urgent messages, like school or office closures, event deadlines, or last-minute changes to your plans. For larger groups with more than 32 people, @all is available for admins only”.
The social media giant also points out:
While the @all feature will alert you to important messages even in muted group chats, you remain in control of how you receive notifications and can mute @all at any time in notification settings.
Also new is the ability to create group chats from existing groups – or side chats, if you will. Meta says that this is a one-tap way to start a new group chat with people from an existing one without the need to add people one by one.
It’s perfect for splitting off into a side conversation to plan a surprise party, coordinate event logistics, or dive deeper into a topic without cluttering the main chat.
Polls can play an important part of group chats, whether this is to gauge opinion, or come to a decision. This feature gets a smattering of updates:
We’re making polls even more useful for group decisions with three new improvements. You can now set an end time to lock voting when time is up, hide voter names so the whole group is more comfortable sharing their preferences, and edit your poll questions within 15 minutes if you spot a typo or need to clarify. Whether you’re finalizing when or where to meet, it’s now easier to quickly go from question to decision.
What stands out as a highlight for you from this selection of updates?