WhatsApp Begins Testing Increased Group Chat Capacity With Up to 1024 Participants: Report

WhatsApp beta users on Android and iOS devices who have updated to the latest version might soon be able to add up to 1024 participants to a group.

Advertisement
Written by Anees Hussain, Edited by David Delima | Updated: 11 October 2022 17:30 IST
Highlights
  • WhatsApp currently allows users to add up to 512 group chat members
  • The service is now testing the ability to add up to 1024 participants
  • WhatsApp's move is said to be a push to encourage business usage
WhatsApp Begins Testing Increased Group Chat Capacity With Up to 1024 Participants: Report

The feature will be made available to select WhatsApp Beta users this week

Photo Credit: Pixabay

WhatsApp is reportedly working on increasing the number of participants allowed in a single group chat from the previous limit of 512 to 1024 members, and the Meta-owned instant messaging and voice-over-IP service has begun testing larger groups with some users on the beta channel. The service previously increased the group chat participant limit from 256 to 512 in June, and rolled out the ability to send larger files (to up to 2GB) and emoji reactions for messages. WhatsApp is currently working on an undo option for deleted messages, and an edit option for messages that have already been sent.

WhatsApp's group chat limit increase for beta testers was spotted by feature tracker WABetaInfo. This is the second time this year that the participant limit for group chats has been doubled. The earlier increase in capacity entered beta testing for some users earlier this year and was rolled out in June. The ability to add 1024 users will reportedly be released to an undefined number of WhatsApp Beta users on Android and iOS through an app update this week, according to the feature tracker.

As per WABetaInfo, the company is also planning on announcing features that will provide admins better control over large group chats including introducing a pending participants section which will give admins the to view and manage requests from users to join the group and lets admins approve them at any time, along with an approval system that enables admins to give other users rights to add new participants to the group.

WhatsApp, however, has not officially confirmed the development or indicated a timeline for the release of the new limits that are being tested with some beta users. Rival app Telegram meanwhile, allows group chats to have a maximum of 2 lakh participants. However, unlike WhatsApp, Telegram chats are not protected by end-to-end encryption, which means they are less secure than WhatsApp groups.

Advertisement

The move is speculated to be a part of the Meta-owned service's efforts to attract larger usage of its group chat among businesses according to a report by PhoneArena. However, WhatsApp is yet to officially make an announcement with regard to the size of group chats on the messaging service, and it is worth noting that the limit might be increased or decreased over the course of development, before it is released to all users at a future date.


5G is here. Should you buy a 4G phone? We discuss this on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.
 

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Further reading: WhatsApp, WhatsApp Beta
Advertisement

Related Stories

Popular Mobile Brands
  1. Amazon Prime Day Sale: Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Discount Revealed
  2. Honor X9c 5G With 6,600mAh Battery Launched in India: Price, Features
  3. Honor X70 Key Specifications Tipped Ahead of Launch
  4. Lumio Arc 5, Arc 7 Projectors Launched in India: Price and Specifications
  5. Itel City 100 Launched in India With 5,200mAh Battery, IP64 Rating
  6. Realme 15 Pro 5G Leaked Render Shows Design Ahead of India Launch
  7. Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 7 Said to Get a Significant Price Hike in India
  8. Xiaomi Compact Power Bank 20,000mAh Launched in India: Price, Features
  1. Realme 15 Pro 5G Leaked Render Shows Design Ahead of India Launch
  2. Samsung Smart Monitor M9 With QD-OLED Display Launched in India Alongside Refreshed M8, M7 Models
  3. Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Said to Get 16GB RAM, Improved Telephoto Lens, More
  4. Xiaomi Compact Power Bank 20,000mAh Launched in India With Built-In Cable: Price, Features
  5. Forza Motorsport Team 'No More', Romero Games 'Completely Closed' Following Microsoft Cuts
  6. Honor X70 Tipped to Launch With an 8,300mAh Battery, Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 SoC
  7. iPhone 15 to Get a Discount During Amazon Prime Day 2025 Sale: Price Revealed
  8. Realme 15 Series to Feature AI Edit Genie, a Voice-Enabled Photo Editing Tool
  9. Amazon India Is Bringing Rufus AI Assistant to Desktop, to Help Users During Prime Day Sale 2025
  10. Amazon Prime Day Sale 2025: Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra to Be Available Under Rs. 80,000
Gadgets 360 is available in
Download Our Apps
Available in Hindi
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2025. All rights reserved.