WhatsApp update: message history in the group for users who have joined

The WhatsApp company announced the launch of a new tool designed to improve the user experience in groups, the function allows group administrators to share the message history with new members who join the conversation. Until today, anyone who joined an existing group encountered a blank screen and could not see messages sent before the moment of joining. This situation often created a need for repeated coordination, sending screenshots from the past or writing summaries for each new participant. The new tool allows the sharing of up to 100 recent messages, provided they were sent within the last two weeks, so that the participant can independently update what is happening.

The service will be gradually launched around the world, including Israel, during the coming weeks. It is important to emphasize that sharing the history is only optional and is not done by default. The control of the tool is given to the choice of the group members and especially to its managers. Group administrators can determine in the settings whether to allow non-admin members to enable history sharing, just as you can restrict the possibility of adding new participants to administrators only. Every time the sharing tool is used, all members of the group will be notified about it in the conversation interface, which ensures complete transparency regarding the disclosure of previously written information.

In the area of ​​privacy, WhatsApp makes it clear that all shared messages remain end-to-end encrypted. Although the information is disclosed to a participant who was not present in real time, the level of security is maintained and the messages are not exposed to external factors or the company itself. The decision to limit the sharing to a period of 14 days is intended to ensure that the disclosed information will be relevant to current discussions only, while reducing the disclosure of old and sensitive information that may no longer be necessary for the new entrant.

Meanwhile, the use of the new tool is expected to help especially in work groups, parent groups or social organizations where there is a turnover of participants or the joining of members in late stages of the project. Instead of stopping the flow of the discussion to explain to the newcomer what it is about, he can simply scroll back a little and read the last exchange. This saves valuable time and prevents unnecessary awkwardness in managing the group conversation.

Transparency is a key part of the update, as the message that appears to all group members when sharing history is designed to prevent unpleasant situations. If a group member wrote certain things under the assumption that only the present participants would see them, he would know immediately when that information was revealed to a new member. This is a compromise between the need for organizational efficiency and the right of users to know who is exposed to the content they produce.