WhatsApp is purportedly testing features aimed at alleviating notification overload for users, with a focus on automatically muting group notifications that surpass a certain member threshold, self-identifying as large groups. This move follows WhatsApp’s recent expansion of its group chat participant limit from 256 to 1,024 individuals, a strategic effort to promote increased business and work-related usage, potentially positioning WhatsApp as a competitor to platforms like Slack.
As per a WABetaInfo report, the WhatsApp beta version 2.22.23.9 introduces a new feature that automatically mutes groups exceeding 256 participants by default. This trigger applies retroactively to groups that had already surpassed the 256-member limit at the time of the user joining. Groups will also be automatically muted after welcoming their 257th member.
To continue receiving messages from these sizable groups, users can manually unmute them by long-pressing the group chat in the chat listing menu and selecting the unmute option, particularly effective for well-moderated groups where active participation is desired.
The report notes that an alert will appear on the user’s group chat screen, notifying them of the automatic mute to reduce notification clutter. WhatsApp’s latest beta update, version 2.22.24.15, is currently rolling out over the next few days exclusively on Android devices through the Google Play Beta Program.
