WhatsApp Updates & Release Notes

When someone new walks into your life – a classmate, a neighbor, someone you meet at an event – sharing a phone number can feel like a big step. That’s because a phone number is personal and it’s tied to so many parts of your life. Sometimes you just want to chat without handing over your digits.

This is also true for group conversations. You want to join the parent chat for the soccer team but you’re not ready to give your phone number to people you've never met.

That's why we're introducing usernames for WhatsApp. Starting this week, you can reserve a username to use later this year when we launch this feature. With over three billion people on WhatsApp a lot of names overlap, which is why we're opening reservations early so everyone has the opportunity to select the username that matters to them.

For most people, choosing a WhatsApp username should be something unique that only people you want to contact you will know. If you need help picking one, we have a username generator to make one work just for you.

We also know that some people like creators, small businesses, and organizations may want to maintain a consistent presence online. For them, we reserved an option to claim their existing Instagram or Facebook username on WhatsApp.

Usernames are our latest step to make WhatsApp even more private. There's no directory to browse and no suggestions – people will need to know your exact username to contact you for the first time. To help control who can reach you on WhatsApp with your username, we've built an optional username key that others will need to know to message you.

Once we launch usernames, when you message a person or business for the first time they will no longer see your phone number, if you enabled your username.

Reserving your optional username takes just a few seconds on the latest version of WhatsApp – go to Settings > Account > Username.

We'll be rolling out usernames gradually over the coming months and will notify you in WhatsApp when they're available in your country.

When someone new walks into your life — a classmate, a neighbor, someone you meet at an event — sharing a phone number can feel like a big step. That’s because a phone number is personal and it’s tied to so many parts of your life. Sometimes you just want to chat without handing over your digits.

This is also true for group conversations. You want to join the parent chat for the soccer team but you’re not ready to give your phone number to people you’ve never met.

That’s why we’re introducing usernames for WhatsApp.

Starting this week, you can reserve a username to use later this year when we launch this feature. With over three billion people on WhatsApp a lot of names overlap, which is why we’re opening reservations early so everyone has the opportunity to select the username that matters to them.

For most people, choosing a WhatsApp username should be something unique that only people you want to contact you will know. If you need help picking one, we have a username generator to make one work just for you.

We also know that some people like creators, small businesses, and organizations may want to maintain a consistent presence online. For them, we reserved an option to claim their existing Instagram or Facebook username on WhatsApp.

Usernames are our latest step to make WhatsApp even more private. There’s no directory to browse and no suggestions – people will need to know your exact username to contact you for the first time. To help control who can reach you on WhatsApp with your username, we’ve built an optional username key that others will need to know to message you.

Once we launch usernames, when you message a person or business for the first time they will no longer see your phone number, if you enabled your username.

Reserving your optional username takes just a few seconds on the latest version of WhatsApp — go to Settings > Account > Username.

We’ll be rolling out usernames gradually over the coming months and will notify you in WhatsApp when they’re available in your country.

Nothing brings people together quite like football: last-minute goals, the unbelievable saves, and the moments that make you jump and shout. The only thing that matches the energy on the pitch is your group chat. Whether it’s polls predicting each match winner, voice notes flying across time zones after an incredible bicycle kick, or post-match calls to debrief all the action.

This month, 48 teams will play for the ultimate prize in football, and we built something to match the fever pitch. Starting today, we are rolling out features across WhatsApp to make following the tournament with the people you care about even more fun.

New ways to capture the moment across chats and calls

Thanks to our friends at adidas, Trionda - the official match ball for this summer's tournament - is now on WhatsApp. From now through to the final, the football emoji has been upgraded with the Trionda ball. Send it as a message or drop it as a reaction and see what happens.

We've also introduced new football calling effects so you can bring the fun and fandom to your next group video call. And for when you need just the right sticker to express how you feel after that missed penalty kick or questionable red card, we've rolled out a football-themed sticker pack to better express how you’re really feeling about a game.

Channels: Your ultimate information hub

During the tournament, you can expect matchday countdowns, behind-the-scenes moments, and real-time highlights from channels across WhatsApp. We've created a dedicated football directory to bring together your favorite teams, latest scores, and updates all in one place for easy access.

We’re also rolling out the ability for these Channels to post to Status. You’ll see statuses from channels you follow alongside other statuses, and can also view a channel’s status when you visit a Channel. You can hide any channel's statuses so it no longer appears alongside your statuses, or unfollow the channel at any time.

And for when you're looking for quick answers, Meta AI powered by Muse Spark is your go-to tool for up-to the minute updates, including the latest tournament standings, player details, or the best spots near you to watch the next game.

As always, your personal messages and calls are end-to-end encrypted by default: your predictions, your hot takes, and your voice note rants stay between you and the people you share them with. So whether you are watching from a living room in Chicago, a café in São Paulo, or a fan zone in Paris, WhatsApp is where you can privately celebrate, commiserate, and enjoy these special moments with the people who matter most.

Chatting with AI has quickly become a critical part of how people get information and ask important questions. And many of these questions can be deeply sensitive, or include situations where people are including private financial, personal, health or work data with their questions.

Ten years ago we brought the world end-to-end encryption and now we are extending this privacy to chats with Meta AI.

Today we're launching Incognito Chat with Meta AI, a new way to have completely private conversations with AI. Built on top of our Private Processing technology, Incognito Chat lets you talk to Meta AI in a way that is invisible to anyone else.

Other apps have introduced incognito-style modes, but they can still see the questions coming in and the answers going out. Incognito Chat with Meta AI is truly private — no one can read your conversation, not even us.

Since we started exploring bringing AI to WhatsApp, we've been focused on how to deliver this power privately, at a global scale.

When you start an Incognito Chat with Meta AI, you're creating a private, temporary conversation that only you can see. Your messages are processed in a secure environment that even Meta cannot access. Your conversations are not saved and by default, your messages disappear — giving you a space to think and explore ideas without anyone watching.

We believe this private way of chatting has potential to be part of several ways people chat with AI on WhatsApp. In the coming months, we’ll also introduce Side Chat protected by Private Processing. Side Chat with Meta AI will give you private help with any chat, with context of what's being discussed, without disrupting the main conversation.

We remain committed to delivering privacy for the world. Incognito Chat with Meta AI is rolling out on WhatsApp and the Meta AI app over the coming months. You can learn more about how Incognito Chat with Meta AI works here.

We’re launching Incognito Chat with Meta AI on WhatsApp and the Meta AI app, a completely private way to interact with AI.

Your Incognito Chat conversations are processed in a secure environment that even Meta can’t see, and disappear by default.

Chatting with AI has quickly become a critical part of how people get information and ask important questions. These questions can be deeply sensitive or personal, like health issues, loan details, or career advice.

Today, we’re launching Incognito Chat with Meta AI on WhatsApp and the Meta AI app, a new way to have completely private conversations with AI. Built on top of WhatsApp’s Private Processing technology, Incognito Chat lets you talk to Meta AI in a way that is invisible to anyone else.

Other apps have introduced incognito-style modes, but they can still see the questions coming in and the answers going out. Incognito Chat with Meta AI is truly private, meaning no one — not even Meta — can read your conversations.

When you start an Incognito Chat with Meta AI on WhatsApp, you’re creating a private, temporary conversation that only you can see. Your messages are processed in a secure environment that even Meta cannot access. Your conversations are not saved and by default, your messages disappear — giving you space to ask questions and explore ideas without anyone watching.

We believe this private way of chatting has potential to be part of several ways people chat with AI on WhatsApp. In the coming months, we’ll also introduce Sidechat protected by Private Processing on WhatsApp. Side Chat with Meta AI will give you private help with any WhatsApp chat with context of what’s being discussed, without disrupting the main conversation.

Incognito Chat with Meta AI is rolling out on WhatsApp and the Meta AI app over the coming months. You can learn more about how Incognito Chat with Meta AI works here.

Over time, our chats become a record of the moments that matter: conversations with family, laughs with friends, the photos and videos we couldn't stop sharing. To help you make the most of all of it, we're rolling out new ways to make WhatsApp even easier to use — whether you're staying organized, juggling work and personal, or getting more out of every chat.

Free up space, keep what matters

As your chats fill up, so can the clutter. Now you can find and delete large files directly within any chat, so you can clear what you don't need without wiping your entire conversation. Simply tap the chat name and select Manage Storage. You can also choose to clear just media files when clearing a chat – keeping your chat history intact.

Cross-platform chat transfer made easy

Our chat transfer feature now supports moving your chat history from iOS to Android, in addition to within the same platform. Changing phones shouldn't be complicated. Now, with just a couple taps, your conversations, photos, and videos easily come with you.

Two accounts, one phone – now on iOS

You can now have two WhatsApp accounts logged in at the same time on iOS—just like on Android. No more carrying two phones to keep work and personal separate. You’ll always know which account you’re in because your profile picture will now be visible in the bottom tab.

Stickers that match your mood

Stickers can bring bigger, bolder expressions to your chats—and now WhatsApp will make it easier to use them by suggesting them as you type emojis. With just a tap, you can swap an emoji for a sticker that captures exactly how you're feeling.

Photo touch-ups with Meta AI

You can now use Meta AI to touch up photos directly in your chat before sending, making it easy to remove something distracting, swap in a new background, or apply a fun style. Meta AI features may not be available to all users.

AI Writing Help is even more useful

Writing Help can now draft a suggested response based on your conversation, so you can get your message just right – all while keeping your chats completely private.

These features are rolling out now and will be available to everyone soon. We hope they make your WhatsApp even simpler to use.

Takeaways

• Today, we’re rolling out new features on WhatsApp that make it even easier to manage your chats.
• You can seamlessly balance multiple accounts, free up chat space without deleting the entire conversation, and move your chat history from iOS to Android in just a few taps.
• We’re also introducing new AI features to touch up your photos before sending them in a chat and draft smarter suggested responses.

Your WhatsApp chats become a record of the moments that matter: conversations with family, laughs with friends, and the photos and videos you couldn’t stop sharing. To help you make the most of all of it, we’re rolling out new ways to make WhatsApp even easier to use — whether you’re staying organized, juggling work and personal life, or getting more out of every chat.

Free up space, keep what matters

As your chats fill up, so can the clutter. Now, you can find and delete large files directly within any chat by tapping the chat name and selecting Manage Storage, so you can clear what you don’t need without deleting your entire conversation. You can also choose to clear just media files when clearing a chat, keeping your chat history intact.

Cross-platform chat transfer made easy

Changing your phone shouldn’t be complicated, and WhatsApp’s chat transfer feature now supports moving your chat history from iOS to Android, in addition to within the same platform. Now, with just a few taps, your conversations, photos, and videos easily come with you no matter what device you’re using.

Two accounts, one phone — now on iOS

You can now have two WhatsApp accounts logged in at the same time on iOS — just like on Android. There’s no need to carry two phones to keep work and personal chats separate. You’ll always know which account you’re in because your profile picture will now be visible in the bottom tab.

Stickers that match your mood

Stickers can bring bigger, bolder expressions to your chats, and now WhatsApp is making it easier to use them by suggesting them as you type emojis. With just a tap, you can swap an emoji for a sticker that captures exactly how you’re feeling.

Photo touch-ups with Meta AI

You can now use Meta AI to touch up photos directly in your chat before sending them, making it easy to remove something distracting, swap in a new background, or apply a fun style. Meta AI features may not be available to all users.

AI Writing Help is even more useful

Writing Help can now draft a suggested response based on your conversation, so you can get your message just right — all while keeping your chats completely private.

These features are rolling out now and will be available to everyone soon. We hope they make your WhatsApp even simpler to use.

WhatsApp introduces parent-managed accounts

WhatsApp is the trusted way families communicate because it’s simple, private, and reliable. With input from families and experts, we're rolling out new parent-managed accounts that allow parents or guardians to set up WhatsApp for pre-teens, with new controls to limit their WhatsApp experience to messaging and calling.

To begin, parents will need the phone they have bought for their family member and their own device, side by side to link their accounts. Once set up, these accounts are controlled by the parent or guardian who will be able to decide who can contact the account and which groups they can join. In addition, parents can review message requests from unknown contacts and manage the account’s privacy settings.

The new parental controls and settings are gated by a parent PIN on the managed device. Only parents can access and change privacy settings, ensuring they are empowered to tailor their family’s experience.

All personal conversations remain private and protected with end-to-end encryption, meaning no one—not even WhatsApp—can see or hear them. We’re providing more tools and insights for parents, particularly around groups, which you can learn more about here.

WhatsApp is already an important part of family life - whether updating extended family on big milestones, keeping up with after school plans or just letting loved ones know you’re home safe. As we gradually roll out parent-managed accounts over the coming months, we look forward to getting your feedback so we can continue building WhatsApp to provide the safest and most private way for families to connect.

To learn more about setting up a parent-managed account click here.

Group Message History

We’re excited to introduce Group Message History, a feature that makes group chats even more welcoming without interruption. Now, group admins and members can choose to send recent messages to new members, so they can catch up quickly.

One of our most requested features, it’s another example of how WhatsApp is leading the way in group messaging, no matter your device. Group Message History remains end-to-end encrypted like all other personal messages, giving you a quicker, more private way to keep conversations flowing, with no more screenshots, and no more unnecessary message forwarding.

When you add someone new to a group chat, you’ll see an option to send recent messages to them - from 25 up to 100 maximum. This keeps things simple, ensuring new members only need to read the most relevant, recent context, and the whole group can easily see the messages that have been shared.

Sending message history is an action you have to take and admins have the option to disable the setting for their groups. Admins will always be able to share message history.

For transparency, when message history is sent, everyone in the group is notified, with clear timestamps and sender information, and message history is visually distinct from regular messages.

We’ve started rolling out Group Message History gradually, and look forward to continuing to set the standard for private, group chat experiences on WhatsApp.

Strict Account Settings

At WhatsApp, we think you should be able to have a private conversation online, just like you would in-person. We will always defend that right to privacy for everyone, starting with default end-to-end encryption. But we also know that a few of our users – like journalists or public-facing figures – may need extreme safeguards against rare and highly-sophisticated cyber attacks.

If you turn this on, certain account settings will lock to the most restrictive settings, and it will limit how your WhatsApp works in some ways, like blocking attachments and media from people not in your contacts. You can enable Strict Account Settings – which is rolling out gradually over the coming weeks – by going to Settings > Privacy > Advanced.

Strict Account Settings is one of many ways we’re working to protect you from the most sophisticated of cyber threats. We’ve also rolled out a programming language called Rust behind the scenes to help keep your photos, videos, and messages safe from things like spyware, so you can share and chat with confidence. To go deeper in the tech, click here.

Rust behind the scenes

To go deeper in the tech, click here.

Takeaways

• Today, we’re adding Strict Account Settings on WhatsApp, a lockdown-style feature that further protects your account from highly sophisticated cyber attacks.
• We think this feature will be particularly useful for people who may be targets of rare but sophisticated cyber attacks, like journalists or public figures.

We believe you should be able to have private conversations on your devices, just like you would in person. That’s why WhatsApp provides a private and secure experience for everyone, with default end-to-end encryption for your personal messages and calls. We’re always building more layers of security, and for the few people who may be targets of sophisticated and rare cyber attacks — like journalists or public figures — we’re adding a new extreme protection feature called Strict Account Settings.

This lockdown-style feature bolsters your security on WhatsApp even further with just a few taps by locking your account to the most restrictive settings like automatically blocking attachments and media from unknown senders, silencing calls from people you don’t know, and restricting other settings that may limit how the app works.

You can turn on Strict Account Settings, which will be rolling out in the coming weeks, by going to your WhatsApp Settings, then to Privacy, and then to Advanced.

Strict Account Settings is one of the many ways we’re working to protect you from the most sophisticated cyber threats. You can learn more about Strict Account Settings on WhatsApp and how to use the feature here.

WhatsApp group chats updates

It’s a new year and a great time for some upgrades to your group chats. Group chats on WhatsApp make it easier to stay connected with the people in your life no matter what device they own – whether it’s sharing New Year’s resolutions, preparing for that special celebration you have coming up, or planning to win your football league.

Today, we’re introducing new features that make staying connected and expressing yourself in group chats even better.

Member tags:

We all wear different hats and sometimes you want to give that more context in a group chat. Now you can give yourself a tag that tells the group what your role is, and can be customized for each group you’re in. So you can be “Anna's Dad” in one group, and “Goalkeeper” in another.

Text stickers:

For the messages you want to really stand out, you can now turn any word into a sticker by typing your text into Sticker Search. You can also add newly created stickers directly to your sticker packs instead of having to send them in a chat first.

Event reminders:

Now when you create and send an event in your group chat you can set custom early reminders for your invitees. This helps everyone remember to commute to the party you’re hosting or hop on the call at the right time, depending on the event type.

These new updates join a bunch of great features we’ve launched over the years to bring groups closer together – like sharing large files up to 2GB, HD media, screen sharing, voice chats, and more. We believe WhatsApp offers the best group chat experience, and we’re committed to making it even better.

Group chats on WhatsApp

Group chats on WhatsApp make it easy to stay connected with the people in your life no matter what device they use. Today, we’re introducing new features that make keeping up with conversations and expressing yourself in group chats even easier.

Member tags

Now, you can give yourself a customizable tag in each of your group chats that tells the group what your role is. Member tags can be especially useful in larger chats where you might not know everyone like clubs, parent groups, or community associations. For instance, you can be “Anna’s Dad” in one group and “Goalkeeper” in another.

Text stickers

For the messages you want to really stand out, you can now turn any word into a sticker by typing your text into Sticker Search. You can also add newly created stickers directly to your sticker packs instead of having to send them in a chat first.

Event reminders

Now, when you create and send an event in your group chat, you can set custom reminders for your invitees. These reminders help everyone remember to commute to the party you’re hosting or hop on the call at the right time, depending on the event type.

These new updates join other features we’ve launched over the years to bring groups closer together, like sharing large files up to 2GB, HD media, screen sharing, voice chats, and more.

New Year’s is our biggest day at WhatsApp

New Year’s is our biggest day at WhatsApp, with each year breaking new records for how people text and call their friends and loved ones. On a regular day, we support over 100 billion messages and 2 billion calls - but the twenty four hours when the world welcomes a New Year always tops our charts. Whether it's a video call that unites families across continents, or a group chat that organizes a celebration, we’re proud to play a small role in making people’s wishes for next year special.

This year, we've added a few festive touches, available now through the holiday, to help you share the moment with people who matter most:

• 2026 sticker pack: share your joy for the coming new year with our latest 2026 sticker pack.
• Video call effects: tap the effects icon during a video call to add fireworks, confetti, and star animations that light up the screen as you celebrate.
• Animated confetti reactions: we’re bringing back special reactions when you use the confetti emoji to react to messages.
• Status updates: for the first time, we're bringing animated stickers to Status! Use a special 2026 layout with an animated sticker to help you ring in the New Year.

If you’re the one planning New Year’s, we have a few tips for how to make the planning smooth in the group chat:

• Create an event, pin in to the chat to keep it top of mind, collect RSVPs, and keep everyone in the loop.
• Use polls to pick food, drinks, and activities.
• Share live location to help friends find their way to the party and to let you know they’ve gotten home safely.
• Send video and voice notes to capture and share authentic moments as they happen with friends who can’t attend so they’ll be sure to be there with you next year.

Whether you're texting and calling from New York or New Delhi, Buenos Aires or Jakarta, WhatsApp is where the world privately comes together. We're grateful to be part of how you connect with the people you love—privately, and securely.

From all of us at WhatsApp, Happy New Year

Calls

Missed call messages

The holidays are a busy time packed with catching up with loved ones and sometimes you may not catch someone right away. If they don’t answer, you can now record a voice or video note, depending on the call type, in one tap for them to listen to later. This new approach will make voicemails a thing of the past.

Reactions in voice chats

Voice chats help you quickly shift between messaging and talking live without ringing the whole group. Now you can react during a voice chat, so you can share a quick 'cheers!' without interrupting the conversation.

Group call speaker spotlight

On video calls, the speaker is automatically prioritized to help you easily follow along.

Chats

Meta AI image creation improvements

Meta AI has delivered new image generation model capabilities from Midjourney and Flux on WhatsApp so you’ll notice huge improvements when creating annual holiday greetings to share in your chats or status.

Animate your images with Meta AI

You can now animate any photo into a short video to add more fun and festivity in chats or to your status.

New media tab on desktop

Search for your documents, links, and media across chats all in one organized place – so it’s easier to find files and get more done faster on Mac, Windows and Web.

Cleaner link previews

We’ve improved the look of link previews, streamlining long URL links to avoid disrupting the chat and keep the conversation flowing.

Updates

New stickers on Status

We've added more ways to express yourself on Status including adding music lyrics, questions to which others can respond and interactive stickers you can tap to engage with.

Questions on Channels

We’ve also introduced questions on Channels so admins can better engage with their audience and get responses in real-time.

Stay tuned for more new features and updates soon!