WhatsApp beta for Android 2.25.26.3: what's new?

WhatsApp has released a new Android update through the Google Play Beta Program, bringing the version up to 2.25.26.3.
What's new in this update? WhatsApp is working on a feature that allows users to mention everyone in group chats, and it will be available in a future update!

In the article about the WhatsApp beta for Android 2.24.26.17 update, we announced that a feature to mention group chats in status updates was available. This functionality enables status updates to directly notify all members of a mentioned group, ensuring that important information reaches the intended audience quickly and effectively. Even participants who are normally excluded by privacy settings will temporarily gain access to the mentioned update, allowing the entire group to engage with the content without requiring changes to individual configurations. It seems that WhatsApp is now experimenting with new options that allow users to notify all group members about their messages. Following the release of the latest WhatsApp beta for Android 2.25.26.3 update, which is available on the Google Play Store, we discovered that WhatsApp is working on a feature that allows users to mention everyone in group chats!

As you can see from the attached screenshot, WhatsApp is testing the implementation of a feature designed to let members mention everyone in their group chats, scheduled for release in a future update. The new option will appear as "everyone" within the mention menu, a familiar placement that ensures users can easily find and use it alongside existing mentions for individual members. By selecting this option, users will be able to send a message that notifies all members of the group simultaneously, regardless of their individual notification settings. This means that instead of tagging each contact one by one, a single mention will trigger a notification for every participant in the conversation.

Mentioning everyone is particularly useful in large groups where important updates need to be delivered to all members without the risk of leaving someone out. For example, in a group chat created for a project, a group member can use the "everyone" option to quickly notify all participants about an upcoming meeting. This ensures that the message is not lost among other conversations and that every participant in the group is immediately aware of the event. It also reduces the need to send multiple individual messages or reminders, saving time and minimizing confusion.

This new functionality reflects aspects of the system of mentioning entire groups in status updates. In that case, users could alert every group member by linking the group to a status since the mention automatically triggered a notification for all participants. However, that feature was not really intended as an official method to notify all group members about a specific message, making it less practical for direct communication within the group.

With the introduction of the "everyone" option inside group chats, WhatsApp will bring the same convenience directly into the group chat interface, allowing users to notify all participants at once without mentioning each member individually. Status mentions are also subject to a specific restriction: groups with more than a certain number of participants cannot be mentioned. By contrast, the "everyone" mention inside chats appears to be more flexible and does not seem to be subject to the same limitation. This means that the feature is expected to work even in large groups and community group chats.

It's worth noting that there do not seem to be restrictions on who can use the "everyone" mention in groups. Early indications suggest that both admins and regular members will be able to mention all participants, giving everyone in the group the ability to send a notification to the entire chat. As a result, any member will be able to quickly alert the group about important messages or updates without relying on multiple individual mentions.

It remains unclear whether WhatsApp will introduce controls that allow admins to decide who can access this feature at a later date. One possibility is that admins may eventually gain settings to limit the use of "everyone" mentions to themselves. On the other hand, WhatsApp might continue to leave the option available to all participants without additional controls, so group admins will need to guide and educate members on how and when to use the feature appropriately. Since the feature is in active development, further adjustments and refinements are expected before its official release, and WhatsApp may still experiment with different approaches to ensure the right balance between convenience and moderation.

A feature that allows users to mention everyone in group chats is under development and it will be available in a future update. We will keep you updated with an additional article as soon as we have more details to share about this feature.

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