WhatsApp for iOS 26.1.74: what's new?
WhatsApp has released a new iOS update through the App Store, bringing the version up to 26.1.74.
What's new in this update? WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that displays clearer link previews to make links easier to read!
| Key Points | Details |
|---|---|
| Name of the feature: | Clearer link previews |
| Status: | Rolling out |
| Compatibility: | WhatsApp for iOS 26.1.74 is designated as compatible, but some users may experiment with the same feature by installing certain previous updates. |
| Availability info: | Although WhatsApp has announced this feature, some users may receive it over the coming weeks, as mentioned in the official changelog on the App Store. |
| Previous news: | WhatsApp beta for iOS 26.1.10.73: what's new? WhatsApp is working on a feature that lets users manage privacy settings for cover photos! |
WhatsApp is rolling out clearer link previews in chats on iOS
In the post about the WhatsApp beta for iOS 24.7.10.70 update, we announced that a new privacy feature to disable link previews is available. This functionality gives users more control over the links they share in their chats and groups. When sharing a link, the app requests a preview from the website. The preview includes details such as the title, meta description, favicon, and associated image, which describe the link's content. To request this information, the website receives a request and sends a response to the requesting app. However, this action reveals the requester's IP address to the website. With this feature, users can disable link previews so they no longer request information from websites, protecting their IP address.
Now, it appears WhatsApp wants to improve the way these links appear in conversations when they have a preview. This would make links easier to read and improve the user experience in conversations. Following the release of the latest WhatsApp for iOS 26.1.74 update on the App Store, we discovered that WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that displays clearer link previews to make links easier to read.
As you can see from the attached screenshot, WhatsApp is improving how links are displayed in chats and groups to minimize disruption to conversations. Specifically, link previews appear cleaner and more organized. Instead of displaying a very long link, WhatsApp only displays essential information such as its preview, the protocol used by the website, the second-level domain name, and the top-level domain name. The rest of the path is not displayed as it can sometimes be very long and disrupt the user experience.
While this new organization may seem very intuitive and clean, there may be situations where knowing the full path to a link could be useful. For example, when for some reason two links from the same website have the same preview and details, the user can read the entire link by tapping and holding on the domain name within the message bubble. This action displays a bottom sheet with options to open the link in the default browser, Google Chrome, add it to the reading list, or copy it, and even the full link.
It's important to note that this new way to display links is only available when the link has a rich preview, and when the user has shared it with a preview and hasn't removed it. This is because it wouldn't make sense to only display the domain name of a link without other key information, such as its headline and description. Links shared as image and video captions will retain their previous settings. Furthermore, links shared when the link preview option is disabled in the privacy settings will still display the full path for transparency and clarity. As a result, only links with a rich preview will display a cleaner link, and only if the feature is enabled will it appear that way.
The feature that displays clearer link previews to make links easier to read is available to users who install the latest WhatsApp for iOS updates from the App Store. This feature is also mentioned in the official changelog. It was also mentioned in some changelogs for previous updates, and since it's also highlighted in the changelog for this update, this suggests it's now available to a wider audience. However, even more users will be able to experience cleaner link previews over the next few weeks, until a global rollout is achieved.
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