WhatsApp today announced a new feature update that will allow users to pin messages inside chats. You can already pin contacts in the chat list so people you speak to more frequently (or groups you’re most active in) stay at the top of your chats and don’t get lost in the crowd. The new update is an extension of that ability into messages inside individual chats and groups, though unlike pinning contacts, WhatsApp only lets you pin one message per chat window, at least for now.
Announcing the feature through a press release, the Meta-owned instant messaging platform said the feature has started rolling out to users globally at the time of writing while more details on how to use it have been published in a separate blog post. WhatsApp says you’ll be able to pin all messages including text, poll, image, and emojis at the top of your chats. You’ll be able to do this in both 1:1 chats and groups across Android, iOS and web.
The procedure to pin chats in 1:1 chats is simple. Just long-press on a message and select “pin” from the context menu. It’s the same deal in groups as well though admins will have full control to allow individual members from pinning messages. With permission, group members can pin messages and every time someone does that, group members will be notified that a message was pinned and who pinned it. In case a user joins a group after a pinned message was sent, they won’t be able to see it. The same rule applies to when they loose or clear their chat history, or if they delete the message before it was pinned.
Pinned messages will have a set timer which can manually be decided by the person who pins them. By default, this is seven days, the others being 24 hours and 30 days.
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