WhatsApp, the popular chat platform, is reportedly testing new feature that would allow group chat memberships to expire after a certain period of time. The feature is currently being tested on WhatsApp beta for iOS 23.5.0.70, according to WaBetaInfo report.
The new Expiring groups feature would let users set a certain expiration date for their groups meaning that the group memberships will automatically end once the expiration date has reached. The report further reads that “once the expiration date is reached, users will be prompted to clean up the group.”
WhatsApp Expiring group option will reportedly show up within group info. The expiry date can be set for one day, one week, or any custom date one wants. There will also be an option to remove the expiration date in case admin wants to continue the group for some more time.
The feature can be particularly useful for small scale businesses that make groups for a specific sale period. Businesses could create a temporary group chat for a specific event or sale and set an expiry date for the membership to ensure that the group is used for the intended purpose.
The feature could also prove useful to reduce the amount of spam and clutter in the chat app. The feature would ensure that group memberships are automatically ended once the purpose of the group chat is met. WhatsApp is one of the largest and most widely chat platform used across both personal and professional space for communication. The increasing popularity has also led to a spike in the “zombie groups.” These are groups that are set up just for one-time event and have no purpose after the event is done. These groups can cause confusion and clutter in WhatsApp chat window in case there are other active groups with same members.
It is unclear when the feature will be available for all but the sighting of beta update signals that the feature could be under works and arrive in one of the future updates on the app.
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