At last, the most requested WhatsApp groups feature is here – but what does it do?

A new highly requested feature has been rolled out on WhatsApp which should help to make group chats much more welcoming.

Meta says this new feature is one of the most requested its had so far. Group message history, as it's aptly named, means you can now scroll back through a newly joined chat.

Previously if you were added to a new group, which already existed for some time, you couldn't see what had been said before you joined. This new update will mean you can now access previously sent messages, so you're all caught up on whats going on in the group.

How does Group message history work?

The new group message history feature lets you send previous group messages to new members. Select from between 25 and 100 messages and send them to the new members so they have access and can get caught up - without disrupting the conversation.

So, to be clear, this doens't mean new members can just scroll up and see everything that's been said. Rather, this lets admins share crucial moments from the chat so new members can get caught up efficiently.

It also means, of course, that the admin can ensure new members only see the messages that are relevant to them.

WhatsApp's parent company Meta says: "It’s a simple way to keep everyone in the loop, with privacy and transparency built in: everyone is notified when message history is sent, and all messages remain end-to-end encrypted."

The feature has begun rolling out already but as is typical with these updates, it won't arrive for everyone at the same time. So ensure your WhatsApp and smartphone OS are regularly updated to make sure you get access to the new feature as soon as possible.