I’m a WhatsApp genius – big new update will let you be VERY sneaky with group chats
WHATSAPP is working on a new feature that will let you silently leave groups.
It’s often awkward when you abandon a group chat because everyone is notified.
So if you’re leaving a chat, there’s no hiding it.
Thankfully, WhatsApp is developing a silent-exit feature that could land this year.
A screenshot of the feature was revealed by the WhatsApp sleuths at WABetaInfo, who regularly mine the app for new features.
“This screenshot is very clear: when you want to exit a WhatsApp group, other people won’t be notified in the chat,” said WABetaInfo.
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“Only group admins will be able to see who exits the group, but others don’t.”
Normally when you leave a group, a system message will be posted in the chat.
This lets everyone in the group know that you’ve left.
But with the new change, only the people running the group will notice.
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Now in a small group, your departure may still be noted – at least eventually.
But in bigger groups, this can allow you to slip out quietly.
Sadly, there’s no exact date on when the feature will appear for everyone.
“This feature is under development on WhatsApp Desktop beta at the moment,” WABetaInfo explained.
“And it is planned to be rolled out to users in a future update.”
WhatsApp recently made another big change to groups.
It’s now possible to invite a head-spinning 512 people to a single chat.
WhatsApp group sizes were originally capped at 100 people, before changing to a limit of 256 in 2016.
But the latest update that’s now rolling out doubles the group chat participant cap.
It comes before WhatsApp adds its long-awaited Communities feature.
This will let you create “parent groups” that contain lots of group chats within them.
If you want to try new features first, consider joining the WhatsApp beta using our guide below.
How to get WhatsApp beta
To download WhatsApp beta for your smartphone you need to go to Google Play on your Android and search for WhatsApp.
Scroll down the page until you see “Become a Beta Tester”.
Tap the “I’m In” button and then click “Join” to confirm.
Now all you have to do is wait for the update to the beta version of the app.
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Joining the WhatsApp beta on iPhone is more difficult, and has limited capacity.
Follow Apple’s guide here.
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