In its beta version for Android, WhatsApp has now restricted users from forwarding certain text messages.
WhatsApp Update Limits Forwarding Messages
According to a report in the United States Sun, the beta version of WhatsApp is reportedly prohibiting users from forwarding text messages more than a certain number of times.
As a result, Facebook’s parent company’s messaging service, Meta, is making it more difficult for misinformation and dangerous messages to proliferate on the network.
The current Android beta has already reduced the forwarding feature, according to a recent article by WABetaInfo, a site that especially checks out what’s coming to WhatsApp by digging up its coding.
WhatsApp’s beta version now only allows users to forward a message to a single group conversation. Furthermore, the app’s forwarding feature for the aforementioned SMS message is disabled.
However, if WhatsApp users wish to send a message to a different group chat, they must manually select the text to send it to a third or second group chat.
Furthermore, WABetaInfo disclosed that after a message has been sent to a group, it would be identified as forwarded. As a result, the forward capability for the specific text would be disabled.
According to the website, once a message is tagged as forwarded, “it is no longer allowed to forward it to more than one group chat at a time.”
When a message has previously been forwarded, a notice appears that says “forwarded messages can only be sent to one group chat,” providing users only two options: OK, or learn more.
According to WABetaInfo, WhatsApp’s restricting function is now only available to beta users. However, it maintains that the sending restriction will be extended to the broader public.
WhatsApp and Forwarding Restriction
It is worth noting that WhatsApp has yet to confirm if the forward restricting feature is coming to all users soon. It is still unclear why the messaging app is testing it out on its beta version.
However, the US Sun said in its news story that early versions of various apps give its users a sneak peek of what’s to come.
Meanwhile, according to a recent Android Police article, this is not the first time WhatsApp has limited message forwarding on its platforms.
In reality, WhatsApp began limiting message forwarding in 2019 when users had more than five chats. Then, in 2020, it was reduced to only one chat.
This time, though, message forwarding is likely to be limited to a single group chat.