Key Highlights
- Pin any text message, emoji, image, or media file to the top of a WhatsApp chat
- Set pinned messages to expire after 24 hours, 7 days, or 1 month
- Encrypted end-to-end, preserving privacy just like regular WhatsApp messages
- In group chats, admins can choose whether all group members can pin or just admins
- Long-press a message and tap “Pin” to easily pin a message
WhatsApp has been on a roll this year, releasing useful new features on a regular basis to improve users’ messaging experiences. Just last week, the Meta-owned platform unveiled ephemeral voice messages that self-destruct after a single listen.
Now, WhatsApp has launched an equally practical pinned messages tool that allows highlighting important chats within conversations.
While WhatsApp has previously allowed users to pin whole chats to the top of their messaging lists for quick access, the ability to pin individual messages within threads is an entirely new offering.
After prolonged rumors of this handy feature’s imminent arrival, the Meta-owned app has finally introduced it. Whatever you pin stays at the top of the chat for either 24 hours, seven days, or one month. You can choose between these three options, with seven days being the default.
How to Use WhatsApp Pinned Messages
Pinning a WhatsApp message is easy:
- Open the WhatsApp chat with the message you want to pin.
- Long-press on the specific message.
- Select “Pin” from the menu.
- Choose how long to pin the message for – 24 hours, 7 days, or 1 month.
I should also note that the other party is notified whenever you pin a message from your chat thread.
Keeping Important Details Accessible
The pinned messages feature is perfect for making sure significant details remain easily accessible in ongoing conversations. For example, you can now pin an address to a chat when making plans to meet up or pin servicing times for household repairs.
Also Read: WhatsApp can now hide your IP address during calls
This feature is also available for group chats, and the admins can choose whether anyone in the chat can pin a message or if only admins can do so.
Having vital information continually visible can be a major time saver, removing the need to scroll back through a long chat history to find specifics. This helps both individual and group conversations stay focused.
However, I wish we had the ability to pin multiple messages instead of only one.
Rolling Out on Latest Version of WhatsApp
Message pinning is gradually rolling out on the latest version of the WhatsApp app for iOS and Android over the next few days.
Also Read: WhatsApp ads a new email login option in its latest beta update
To access this useful new feature, make sure you’re running the latest version of WhatsApp. You can check for updates in the App Store or Google Play Store.
WhatsApp Continues to Improve Chat Features
The pinned messages feature builds on a series of new WhatsApp upgrades introduced recently, like view-once media and larger group video calls. The Facebook-owned platform continues to enhance its chat tools to be more versatile and user-friendly.
