WhatsApp is rolling out three new features for group chats. With @all, you can notify all members at once; polls now have an end time and support anonymous voting; and you can create a second group from an existing one with just a few taps. Meta announced these updates on August 4, 2026, on the official WhatsApp blog; as usual, they’re being rolled out gradually.
Key Points at a Glance
- @all mentions every group member at the same time and goes through even if the chat is muted.
- In groups with more than 32 people, only admins can use the feature.
- Polls can be scheduled, made anonymous, and edited for 15 minutes after they’re posted.
- A new group is created directly from the old one, without having to manually select all contacts one by one.
@all: what group admins have been waiting for
Anyone who’s ever tried to inform 40 people in a parents’ group about a canceled field trip knows the problem: Either you tap each name individually, or you hope the message will be read eventually. That’s exactly what @all is for now. One tag, and everyone gets mentioned.
The technically interesting part is in the fine print. By default, the notification overrides the chat’s mute setting. So anyone who has deliberately set a group to silent will still be tagged. WhatsApp justifies this with time-sensitive messages such as last-minute cancellations or office closures. Some people still find this annoying, though, so you can turn off this exception in the settings.
To prevent the feature from becoming a noise source in every 200-person group, Meta has set a limit: in groups with 33 or more members, @all is reserved exclusively for administrators. In smaller groups, anyone can use it. The number seems arbitrary, but it makes sense when viewed as a dividing line between a circle of friends and a mailing list.
Polls: Deadline, Anonymity, and 15 Minutes to Change Your Mind
The poll feature is getting three improvements at once. First, you can set an end time when creating a poll. Once that time runs out, the poll closes automatically, and no one can change the result afterward. This is handy for anything with a deadline.
Second, poll creators can hide the names of voters. Until now, WhatsApp always showed who voted for what, which noticeably influenced responses in groups with bosses, in-laws, or club board members. Anonymous polls have been the obvious missing piece.
Third, there’s a 15-minute editing window. Typos in the question, a forgotten answer option, or an awkwardly worded choice can be corrected during this time, instead of having to delete the poll and create a new one.
Subgroups: Create a New Group from an Existing One
The third point is the least spectacular but probably the most useful in everyday life. In the future, you’ll be able to create a new group with selected members directly from an existing group, without having to search for each contact individually in your address book. WhatsApp gives the example of planning a surprise party where one person isn’t supposed to be there.
An Overview of the New Group Features
| Feature | What it does | Limitation |
|---|---|---|
| @all | Notifies all group members at the same time, even if the chat is muted | For groups with 33 or more members, this feature is available only to admins; can be disabled on a per-user basis |
| Poll End Time | Voting closes automatically at the set time | Set by the creator when creating the poll |
| Anonymous poll | Hides the names of voters | Optional; must be enabled |
| Edit poll | Correct the question and options later | Only within 15 minutes |
| Group from group | Creates a new group with selected members | None known |
Availability: When will the new features be available?
Meta hasn’t specified a specific date or the order in which the features will roll out by platform. The blog post mentions that the features are being rolled out immediately, which, based on past experience with WhatsApp, typically takes several weeks to complete on the server side. An app update from the Play Store or App Store won’t necessarily speed this up, but it won’t hurt either. Android, iOS, Web, and Desktop are all expected to be supported—just not all at the same time.
At the same time, WhatsApp is testing an enhanced storage management feature in the Android beta that allows users to delete media in a filtered manner across multiple chats. This has not yet been included in the official announcement.
Conclusion
The new WhatsApp features don’t reinvent group chat; they fill gaps that have been open for years. Anonymous polls and a deadline for voting are features that competitors like Telegram have had for a long time. And @all is exactly the tool every group admin has missed a dozen times—sensibly locked behind admin permissions once the group reaches 33 members.
The most interesting side effect is the muting feature. A mention that breaks through the intentionally imposed silence represents a minor departure from the principle that users retain control over their notifications. WhatsApp does allow you to disable this option, but the default setting says more about its priorities than any press release.
Sources: WhatsApp Blog
