Desk: If you use WhatsApp for messaging, your fun is about to increase. WhatsApp has announced several new features to make large group chats easier and more organized. Now users will be able to set a deadline for voting in polls and, if desired, hide the identity of those voting. The @all mention feature and the option to create a new group from an existing group have also been added. According to the company, all these features will gradually reach all users over the next few weeks.
WhatsApp has made several new changes to its poll feature to make it more useful. Users will now be able to set a voting deadline for any poll. Voting will automatically close after the set time. Additionally, there’s an option to hide the names of those voting when creating a poll, allowing members to share their preferences in a more private way. The company also stated that the poll creator will be able to edit the question within 15 minutes of posting. This eliminates the need to create a new poll to correct typos or clarify options.
WhatsApp has also introduced the @all mention feature in group chats. This allows all members of a group to be tagged simultaneously and sent important information. According to the company, this feature is designed to share important information such as office or school closures, event reminders, or last-minute schedule changes. In groups with more than 32 members, only the admin will be able to use the @all mention. @all notifications can still be received even if a user has muted the group, though users can mute this by going to the app’s notification settings.
WhatsApp has added another new feature that lets users create a new group directly from an existing group, eliminating the need to add all members one by one. The company says this feature will help users start a separate discussion on a specific topic, prepare for an event, plan a surprise party, or keep a separate conversation separate from the original group. According to WhatsApp, these new features related to group chats are being rolled out gradually and will be available to all users in the coming weeks.