Home
How to
How to Features
How to Send WhatsApp Message History in a Group on Android and iOS: A Step by Step Guide

How to Send WhatsApp Message History in a Group on Android and iOS: A Step-by-Step Guide

WhatsApp’s message history feature for groups lets new group members catch up on recent chats.

Written by Dhruv Raghav, Edited by David Delima | Updated: 17 April 2026 18:03 IST

How to Send WhatsApp Message History in a Group on Android and iOS: A Step-by-Step Guide

Photo Credit: WhatsApp

Here's a step-by-step guide on how you can send WhatsApp message history

Click Here to Add Gadgets360 As A Trusted Source

Highlights

WhatsApp group message history can be enabled by admins
WhatsApp’s message history feature is available on Android and iOS
It allows new group members to read previous messages

WhatsApp announced that it had started rolling out the new WhatsApp Message History feature for group chats earlier this year, on February 20. The feature is now widely accessible for most users. The new functionality is available on both WhatsApp for Android and iOS. For long, new members joining a WhatsApp group had felt left out since they did not have access to previous conversations, while also missing out on the context of messages and references to old texts. The instant messaging platform solved this exact problem with the new functionality, which lets admins share the history of messages for new members. Until its release, you could only see the new messages on the groups you've been recently added to.

If you also administer a WhatsApp group and have had new group members complain about not having context for what is being discussed, we have created a step-by-step guide for you on how to send WhatsApp message history in a group on Android and iOS.

WhatsApp Discussion

Explore More...

How to Send WhatsApp Message History in a Group on Android

Open WhatsApp and enter any group chat you wish to enable the message history.
Then, tap on the group name appearing at the top of the screen.
Alternatively, you can long-press the group chat from the WhatsApp home screen.
Then, tap on the more option > group info.
Now, you can add a new member by searching for the name or the phone number you wish to add to the group.
Then, tap on Message History.
Now, you must select the number recent messages that you'd like to send to the newly added group member.
Then, tap on Add members and then click on Continue.

How to Send WhatsApp Message History in a Group on iOS

Open WhatsApp.
Then, either tap and hold or enter the group chat and click on the group name you wish to turn message history for.
Now, click on the Add button.
Then, search for or select contacts or phone numbers that you want to add to the group.
Tap on the Message History button and select the number of messages you wish to send.
Now, you can click on the Done button to confirm your selection.
Then, tap on the Add members option > Continue.

How to Toggle Send WhatsApp Message History on Android and iOS

You can turn Send Message History off or on with the following steps:
Tap on the group name.
Click on the Groups permissions button.
Then, tap on off or on under the Send message history menu.

FAQs

1. Do I have to be the group admin to send the WhatsApp message history?

WhatsApp's Long-Awaited Username Feature Is Finally Rolling Out

Yes, you must be the group admin OR have permission to add new members to send the WhatsApp message history to new members.

2. Is the WhatsApp message history feature available for free?*

Yes, WhatsApp does not charge anything from users for accessing the feature.

Your Car Just Got Smarter With WhatsApp's Native CarPlay App

3. Can I send WhatsApp message history to a person who has not been added yet?

WhatsApp Will Soon Make It Easier to Deal With Business Message Spam

No, you must add the new member to send them the WhatsApp message history.

Comments

Get your daily dose of tech news, reviews, and insights, in under 80 characters on Gadgets 360 Turbo. Connect with fellow tech lovers on our Forum. Follow us on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News for instant updates. Catch all the action on our YouTube channel.

Further reading: WhatsApp, How to Send WhatsApp Message History in a Group on Android, How to Send WhatsApp Message History in a Group on iOS, How to

Dhruv Raghav

Email Dhruv Raghav

Dhruv Raghav is currently working as a Senior Sub Editor at Gadgets360. He has previously covered the North American financial markets as a Headline News Correspondent for a major news agency. After taking a sabbatical to prepare for the Civil Services examination, he returned to journalism to cover tech policy, with a special focus on AI laws and online gaming regulation. Now, he is back in Gadgets360 to write features and edit stories. To unwind, he likes to spend time with his PS5, listening ...More