WhatsApp is gradually introducing an @all mention for group chats, allowing users to notify every member, including those who have muted the conversation. The feature is intended for urgent updates such as changes or cancellations, but its design also reflects concerns that it could be misused for spam.

In groups with more than 32 members, only administrators can use @all, and recipients can disable these alerts separately from normal chat notifications. WhatsApp has also updated polls with voting deadlines, optional anonymous voting and a 15-minute editing window, while users can create smaller groups from existing chats more easily. Separately, optional usernames are due later this year, enabling contacts without phone-number sharing and including protections for public figures’ names.