There's hardly a week that goes by without news about WhatsApp , as the platform is always testing new features and incorporating the most popular ones into the final versions of its app. The latest update addresses those annoying frequently forwarded messages and how to stop them. We'll explain how.
Frequently forwarded messages: avoid them in groups
Before discussing how to avoid frequently forwarded messages, it's helpful to know what WhatsApp has been working on in its latest beta versions. Behind the names Forwarding Info and Frequently Forwarded Message are two new features that we'll soon be able to enjoy in the WhatsApp application , and they're closely related to what we're discussing.
Both features began testing in beta version 2.19.18, as WABetainfo rightly points out , and the beta update 2.19.86 confirmed that WhatsApp was more than determined to include them in a future stable and public version for everyone.
Forwarding Info lets you know how many times a message has been forwarded. You've probably received a forwarded message many times (the typical joke, Christmas greeting, or viral video). Well, would you like to know how many times that message was forwarded before reaching you? You can do that by checking the forwarding information for that message.
In case you didn't know, in a chat conversation, you can select one of your messages and tap the three dots in the upper right corner to access "Info." and see when it was delivered and read (if your contact has enabled the blue double- check permission ). Now you can also see how many times a message has been forwarded—see screenshot above—although to do so you'll first have to forward it yourself. The only way to access the "Info" of a message is if it's one you've sent.
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Frequently Forwarded Messages, meanwhile, allows you to detect messages that have been forwarded very repeatedly (more than 5 times) and—here's the latest related feature— to avoid them , at least in group chats . This is just another attempt by WhatsApp to prevent fake news, the false information that spreads like wildfire on these messaging services.
The feature has been discovered in beta version 2.19.97, which shows that WhatsApp is testing the ability to block Frequently Forwarded Messages in groups.
The option will be available in the "Group Settings" – to access it, you need to go to "Group Info" and be an administrator of the group. In this menu, you'll find the ability to manage frequently forwarded messages, with the option to choose whether or not group members have permission to forward them in the chat – you can see a couple of screenshots of what it will look like above.
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According to our source, the feature is currently being tested on Android , so iOS may take longer to receive it. In any case, until more details are revealed, we won't know if we're close to having this control. Even so, it's something to start with to avoid the annoying forwarding of these types of messages.
[Cover image: Marco Verch (Flickr) – with color modifications]