Meta has just announced a bunch of new features for WhatsApp. The first feature drop of 2026 is here, and it focuses on improving the group chat experience in the messenger. With today"s announcement, WhatsApp users can try name tags, text stickers, and event reminders. Meta writes:
It’s a new year and a great time for some upgrades to your group chats. Group chats on WhatsApp make it easier to stay connected with the people in your life no matter what device they own – whether it’s sharing New Year’s resolutions, preparing for that special celebration you have coming up, or planning to win your football league.
Starting with name tags, this feature lets you have a nickname in each group so that you can better represent yourself and provide additional context for people in the chat who may not be familiar with you and your background. You can have a different tag in each group, say, "Anna"s Dad," "Goalkeeper," "Family tech support," or whatever you prefer.
For those who like stickers, WhatsApp now lets you "turn any word into a sticker by typing your text into Sticker Search." Also, users can add newly created stickers into sticker packs without having to send them into chats first.
Finally, WhatsApp now supports custom event reminders. After you create an event in a group chat, you can make a specific reminder, which gives you more flexibility when planning parties, family gatherings, calls, and other events in group chats.
The latest group chat updates join a bunch of other features that Meta released for WhatsApp over the last few months. Those include an Apple Watch app, built-in translation, Live Photo support, and more. WhatsApp promises to continue delivering new features for group chats in the future, so expect more to come.