Archive · 5 Aug 2026
WhatsApp Adds Smarter Polls, @all Mentions for Group Chats
WhatsApp is an app people use to send messages.
It is making group chats easier for everyone.
In a group chat, many people talk together at once.
People can now make polls, which are questions with choices to vote on.
They can set a time for the poll to end, so voting stops automatically.
They can also hide who voted for which answer, so people feel safe sharing their choice.
If someone makes a typo in the poll question, they can fix it within 15 minutes.
In very big groups, only the leaders can tell everyone at once with @all.
People can also make a new smaller group from a big one with just one tap.
That helps friends plan a surprise party without telling everyone.
WhatsApp announced new group chat features: @all mentions, upgraded polls, and a quicker way to create new groups.
Poll creators can now set an automatic end time, hide voter names, and edit questions up to 15 minutes after posting.
In groups with more than 32 members, only administrators can use the @all mention.
Users can mute @all notifications through their notification settings.
A new 'Create a Similar Group' option lets users start a new chat with members from an existing group in one tap.
- Who
- WhatsApp users, especially group chat administrators and members of large groups
- What
- WhatsApp announced new group chat features: @all mentions, three poll upgrades, and a one-tap 'Create a Similar Group' option
- When
- Announced via a blog post; the articles do not give a specific date but note the features build on updates from earlier this year
- Where
- Not specified in the articles; the update applies to the WhatsApp messaging platform
- Why
- To make group chats less chaotic, help groups make decisions faster, and keep important messages from getting lost
- Platform
- New @all mention
- Notifies everyone in a group at once instead of mentioning users individually
- Admin restriction
- Only admins can use @all in groups with more than 32 members
- Poll upgrades
- Set end time, hide voter names, edit question within 15 minutes
- New group creation
- 'Create a Similar Group' spins off a new chat with members from an existing group in one tap
- Earlier features
- Group message history, member tags, and event reminders
- Other announcements
- Support for Apple Music sharing and iPad sign-ups without a phone number
