WhatsApp Updates & Release Notes

Parental controls for teens

As teens grow up, so does the way they communicate. Parents have told us they want to be there to guide them without reading over their shoulder.

Today we're introducing parental controls for teens - a set of flexible, optional tools that parents and teens can set up together to help families choose the WhatsApp experience that's right for them.

Parents will be able to choose the right privacy settings for their teen, like who can see their profile photo or add them to groups. If a teen wants to relax any of those settings, they'll need their parent's approval via a parent-set PIN.

To stay on top of who their teen is connecting with, parents are notified when their teen joins or leaves a group, or when a group their teen is in grows meaningfully in size. Parents will be able to choose how their teen can use Channels, whose Status updates they can see, and who can see theirs. Parents can also now decide on the Meta AI experience that's right for their teen, which includes choosing between the default 13+ setting and a stricter 'Limited Content' option.

This is just the start. We're building these controls step by step, based on what families tell us they need. All of these controls are being designed to support open conversations about how to use WhatsApp between parents and teens, while keeping everyone's personal messages private.

They're straightforward to set up, with a single PIN and clear alerts to keep parents in the loop. And because every family is different, parental controls for teens are entirely optional. Parents choose how much support their teen needs, and can adjust or switch the controls off at any time. Even with controls turned on, your teen's personal messages and calls stay private and protected by end-to-end encryption. No one outside of the chat, not even WhatsApp, can see or hear them.

To learn more about setting up parental controls for teens and other ways for parents to support their family's experience on WhatsApp, visit our Help Center.

On WhatsApp, your conversations belong only to you and the people you're talking to. It's why we built end-to-end encryption by default, and it's why we continue adding new ways to keep your account secure and in your hands. Here are a few we've been working on.

More than 1 billion people now use a passkey:

A passkey lets you log back into WhatsApp with your fingerprint, face ID, or screen lock code. It's the fastest and most secure way to verify it's really you, with no codes or PINs. More than a billion people have already set one up, and you can now add more than one passkey to your account if you use both Android and iOS devices. To get started, go to Settings > Account > Passkeys.

Two-step verification is getting stronger:

Two-step verification is an extra protection layer that helps prevent someone from taking over your account, even if they get hold of your one-time passcode. Until now it was a six-digit PIN, we’ve now upgraded it to a full password: longer, alphanumeric, and even with special ch@racters to make it harder to guess. If you've been using "123456," this is your sign to upgrade.

More context before you pick up:

When you get a call from someone not saved in your contacts, a little context can help you decide whether to pick up. On Android, you'll now see more information about a non-contact caller, like whether the number is from a different country and if you have any groups in common. Scammers rely on urgency – now you can take a beat with some more info before answering.

Takeaways

• We’re adding new account security features on WhatsApp like stronger two-step verification and additional context for calls from unknown callers.

On WhatsApp, your conversations belong only to you and the people you’re talking to. It’s why we built end-to-end encryption by default, and it’s why we continue adding new ways to keep your account secure and in your hands. Here are a few we’ve been working on.

Two-Step Verification Is Setting Stronger

Two-step verification is an extra protection layer that helps prevent someone from taking over your account, even if they get a hold of your one-time passcode. Until now, it was a six-digit PIN, but we’ve upgraded it to a full password: longer, alphanumeric, and even with special characters to make it harder to guess.

More Context Before You Pick Up

When you get a call from someone who isn’t saved in your contacts, a little context can help you decide whether to pick up. On Android, you’ll now see more information about a non-contact caller, like whether the number is from a different country and if you have any groups in common. Scammers rely on urgency — now you can take a beat with some more info before answering.

1 Billion People Are Using Passkeys

A passkey lets you log back into WhatsApp with your fingerprint, face ID, or screen lock code. It’s the fastest and most secure way to verify it’s really you, with no codes or PINs. More than a billion people have already set one up, and you can now add more than one passkey to your account if you use both Android and iOS devices. To get started, go to Settings > Account > Passkeys.

We’ll keep building tools that help you stay in control of your account and boost account security.

Group chats are best on WhatsApp – from staying close to your inner circle to coordinating with your fantasy league. Today we’re making them even better with new polls updates for faster decision-making, @all mentions to get everyone’s attention, and a simpler way to create new group chats from existing groups.

Better polls:

We're making polls even more useful for group decisions with three new improvements. You can now set an end time to lock voting when time is up, hide voter names so the whole group is more comfortable sharing their preferences, and edit your poll questions within 15 minutes if you spot a typo or need to clarify. Whether you're finalizing when or where to meet, it's now easier to quickly go from question to decision.

@all:

Alert everyone in your group chat about important, time-sensitive messages. No more tagging people one by one or hoping your message gets noticed in a busy group chat. Use @all to notify everyone about urgent messages, like school or office closures, event deadlines, or last-minute changes to your plans. For larger groups with more than 32 people, @all is available for admins only.

While the @all feature will alert you to important messages even in muted group chats, you remain in control of how you receive notifications and can mute @all at any time in notification settings.

Create group chats from existing groups:

Instantly start a new group chat with people from an existing one in just a tap – no need to add people one by one. It's perfect for splitting off into a side conversation to plan a surprise party, coordinate event logistics, or dive deeper into a topic without cluttering the main chat.

Earlier this year, we upgraded group chats with the launch of group message history, member tags and event reminders. We're continuing that momentum with smarter polls, @all mentions, and faster group chat creation. With more than 100 million people in the U.S. on WhatsApp, and over 3 billion people globally, there's no better place for your group chats.

Takeaways

• We’re introducing new updates to WhatsApp group chats, including improvements to polls, @all mentions to get the whole chat’s attention, and the ability to create chats from existing groups.

Group chats are best on WhatsApp, helping you connect with groups you care about, from your inner circle to your fantasy football league. Today we’re making group chats even better with updates to polls for faster decision-making, @all mentions to get everyone’s attention, and the ability to create new group chats from existing ones.

Coordinate With Your Group

We’re making polls even more useful for group decisions with three new improvements. You can now set an end time to lock voting when time is up, hide voter names so the whole group is more comfortable sharing their preferences, and edit your poll questions within 15 minutes if you spot a typo or need to make a clarification. Whether you’re finalizing when to meet, where to meet, or what to do when you get there, it’s now easier to quickly go from question to decision.

Alert the Whole Chat

No more tagging people one by one or hoping your message gets noticed in a busy group chat. Use @all to notify everyone about urgent messages, like school or office closures, event deadlines, or last-minute changes to your plans. For larger groups with more than 32 people, @all is available for admins only.

While the @all feature will alert you to important messages even in muted group chats, you remain in control of how you receive notifications and can mute @all at any time in notification settings.

Create Chats From Existing Groups

You can now start a new group chat with people from an existing one in just a tap — no need to add people one by one. It’s perfect for splitting off into a side conversation to plan a surprise party, coordinate event logistics, or dive deeper into a topic without cluttering the main chat.

Earlier this year, we upgraded group chats with the launch of group message history, member tags and event reminders. We’re continuing that momentum with today’s updates. WhatsApp already offers the best group chat experience, and we’re committed to making it even better.

Whether you're on your phone, at your desk, or switching between the two, calling on WhatsApp just works, privately and simply. Today, we are bringing new features to make that easier no matter where you are or what device you're on.

Web Calling

You can now make and receive audio and video calls, both one-on-one and group, directly from WhatsApp Web. No app download required.

Whether you're a college student on a shared computer, using a work laptop that doesn't allow app downloads, or simply prefer your browser, you can jump on a call without leaving the browser you're already on. You'll have access to features available on your other devices including screen sharing, reactions, and a dedicated Calls tab with your full call history and favorites, all from your browser.

Your calls on the web are end-to-end encrypted — with no time limits and at no cost. It’s the same private experience you expect from WhatsApp.

Call Transfer

Move an active group call from one device to another without hanging up. For those moments when you’re on the go and start a call on your mobile device or tablet, you can seamlessly transfer it to WhatsApp Web or Desktop when you arrive home to collaborate on a larger screen – or vice versa.

Waiting Room

For when you want more control of who joins your group calls and when, we've introduced Waiting Room. When you create a WhatsApp call link with "Require approval to join" enabled, participants will enter a waiting room until you're ready to let them in.

QuickHD

We’ve been improving the video experience at the beginning of a call. With QuickHD, you can now enjoy high-definition video immediately in the very first few seconds of the call.

Noise Suppression

We've launched noise suppression to remove the background noise around you so your voice comes through clearly to the person you’re calling – even in loud or busy environments. It can be managed at any time in your in-call settings.

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

Takeaways

• We’re introducing new features to make WhatsApp calls even easier, like calling from WhatsApp Web, call transfer, background noise suppression, and more.

Whether you’re on your phone, at your desk, or switching between the two, WhatsApp gives you a private and simple way to make calls. Today, we are bringing new features to make calling even easier, no matter where you are or what device you’re on.

Call Directly From WhatsApp Web

You can now make and receive audio and video calls, both one-on-one and group, directly from WhatsApp Web. No app download required.

Whether you’re a college student on a shared computer, using a work laptop that doesn’t allow app downloads, or simply prefer your browser, you can jump on a call without leaving the browser you’re already on. You’ll have access to features available on your other devices including screen sharing, reactions, and a dedicated Calls tab with your full call history and favorites, all from your browser.

Your calls on the web are end-to-end encrypted — with no time limits and at no cost. It’s the same private experience you expect from WhatsApp.

Transfer Calls Between Devices

Move an active group call from one device to another without hanging up. For those moments when you’re on the go and start a call on your mobile device or tablet, you can seamlessly transfer it to WhatsApp Web or Desktop when you arrive home to collaborate on a larger screen – or vice versa.

A Waiting Room for Group Calls

For when you want more control of who joins your group calls and when, we’ve introduced waiting room. When you create a WhatsApp call link with “Require approval to join” enabled, participants will enter a waiting room until you’re ready to let them in.

Instant HD Video

We’ve been improving the video experience at the beginning of a call. With QuickHD, you can now enjoy high-definition video immediately in the very first few seconds of the call.

Drown Out the Noise

We’ve launched noise suppression to remove the background noise around you so your voice comes through clearly to the person you’re calling — even in loud or busy environments. It can be managed at any time in your in-call settings.

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

Sign up for WhatsApp from your iPad:

Since we announced WhatsApp for iPad last year, one of the biggest things we've heard from people is wanting to create a WhatsApp account directly on their iPad, without needing to link to their phone. Now you can. Register for WhatsApp directly on the iPad app, set up your account, and you're in.

Revamped CarPlay and Android Auto:

We've completely refreshed the experience on both. Now you can hear and respond to messages, make calls, see your call history, and reach your favorites – hands-free and right from your car's screen.

PDFs, upgraded:

You can now open PDFs directly in WhatsApp without downloading them, then make lightweight edits like highlighting and annotating right in the chat. Available on web and desktop, powered by Adobe Acrobat.

Share what you're listening to:

Sharing music is a way of expressing yourself, and now you can easily share a song straight from Apple Music or Spotify to your WhatsApp Status. With just a couple of taps, your friends can see what you're into right now, making your Status even more uniquely you.

These features are already rolling out now. We hope they make it easier than ever to keep up with your life.

Takeaways

• We’ve introduced new features that make it easier for you to make WhatsApp part of your life, like upgraded CarPlay, the ability to make a WhatsApp account from your iPad, and more.

Your most important conversations don’t just live on your phone anymore. You’re catching up with friends from the couch on your iPad, checking in with family on the drive home, and switching between many different apps to manage your work and day.

That’s why we’ve been working with partners to make WhatsApp fit seamlessly with the other apps you use and across your devices, so that WhatsApp can keep up with how you actually live.

Sign up for WhatsApp From Your iPad

Since we announced WhatsApp for iPad last year, one of the biggest things we’ve heard from people is that they want to be able to create a WhatsApp account directly on their iPad, without needing to link to their phone. Now you can. Register for WhatsApp directly on the iPad app, set up your account, and you’re in.

Revamped CarPlay and Android Auto

We’ve completely refreshed the WhatsApp care audio experience. Now you can hear and respond to messages, make calls, see your call history, and reach your favorites – hands-free and right from your car’s screen.

PDFs, Upgraded

You can now open PDFs directly in WhatsApp without downloading them, then make lightweight edits like highlighting and annotating right in the chat. This feature is available on web and desktop, powered by Adobe Acrobat.

Share What You’re Listening To

Sharing music is a way of expressing yourself, and now you can easily share a song straight from Apple Music or Spotify to your WhatsApp Status. With just a couple of taps, your friends can see what you’re into right now, making your Status even more uniquely you.

These features are already rolling out now. We hope they make it easier than ever to keep up with your life.

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.