WhatsApp beta for Android 2.24.26.17: what's new?

WhatsApp is rolling out a new update through the Google Play Beta Program, bringing the version up to 2.24.26.17.
What's new in this update? WhatsApp is rolling out a feature to mention group chats in status updates, and it's available to some beta testers!

In the article about the WhatsApp beta for Android 2.24.24.21 update, we announced that a feature to mention group chats in status updates was under development. This feature is designed to streamline communication by allowing users to notify entire groups through a single mention, eliminating the need to tag individual contacts one by one. It appears that WhatsApp is now testing this option with the public, as some beta testers reported that the ability to mention group chats is finally available. Thanks to the latest WhatsApp beta for Android 2.24.26.17 update, which is available on the Google Play Store, we discovered that WhatsApp is rolling out a feature to mention group chats in status updates!

As you can see from the attached screenshot, some beta testers can explore a feature to mention groups in their status updates. When a group is mentioned in a status update, all participants in that group receive a notification informing them about the mention. This ensures that group members are promptly alerted and can engage with the shared status update. It's important to note that even participants who are not included in the existing privacy settings for status updates will be temporarily granted access to the specific update where the group was mentioned. This adjustment allows the mention to effectively reach the entire group without requiring additional manual changes to privacy configurations.

Furthermore, participants mentioned in the group can choose to share the status update with their own contacts. This increases the potential visibility of the update and broadens the audience, even though shared updates will not reveal the original creator's identity. As a result, the feature can be particularly useful for disseminating important or widely relevant information to a larger network of users.

As previously announced, there are limitations on which groups can be mentioned in a status update. Users are currently allowed to mention a maximum of five group chats per update. Additionally, each group must have no more than 32 participants to be eligible for mentions. These restrictions help ensure that the app continues to perform efficiently when encrypting and delivering status updates to multiple recipients. Through the ability to mention entire group chats in status updates, users no longer need to tag specific contacts one by one, saving both time and effort. This makes the process of sharing updates with a broader audience more convenient.

A feature to mention group chats in status updates is available to some beta testers who install the latest updates of WhatsApp beta for Android from the Google Play Store, and it is rolling out to even more people over the coming weeks.

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