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WhatsApp limits forwarding messages to deter fake news

WhatsApp limits forwarding messages to deter fake news
Monique Casingal

Monique Casingal

  • Updated:

Previously testing this feature only in Brazil, WhatsApp is now rolling out a new update on forwarding message restrictions. Now, users can only send forwarded messages to one group chat. This is to further combat the spread of misinformation and spam via the app. 

As a popular instant messaging app, WhatsApp can be vulnerable in many ways and be used for the wrong purposes all the time. While it has features like WhatsApp Web’s “Code Verify” that secure user privacy, they’re also pretty easy to exploit. Thus, the addition of this new feature will at least deter malicious intent.

The new limit on forwarded messages is mainly applied to users who received them and to already-forwarded messages. Whether it came from a private chat or a group chat, the user can only send them to one group chat. If you happen to be the origin of the message, though, there’s no limit imposed.

This update will be available on both WhatsApp Beta for Android and WhatsApp Beta for iOS in the coming weeks. It’s a great addition to WhatsApp since being able to easily share messages isn’t always a good thing. There’s no news yet on when this will be implemented for WhatsApp for Web and WhatsApp for Desktop.

Aside from that, other great new beta updates include a new chat bubble that notifies you if the phone number you’ve tapped on is owned by someone with a WhatsApp account and the file size limit on sharing media on WhatsApp is expanding to 2GB. Additionally, there are new WhatsApp voice message features being rolled out too.

Image credit: WABetaInfo

Monique Casingal

Monique Casingal

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