WhatsApp is testing a new feature: Quietly leave group chats

WhatsApp is developing a new feature that will allow users to "quietly" leave group chats hosted by the messaging platform, rather than notifying all group members during the group chat.

For now, when someone leaves a group chat, WhatsApp announces their exit to the entire group, making the act of leaving public. Quietly leaving a group isn't possible right now, but WhatsApp seems to realize that a silent exit might be a safer default.

WhatsApp officially allows up to 256 people to join a chat group, which can also lead to conversations coming and going and potentially distracting other members.

To improve the situation, WABetainfo found that a WhatsApp beta feature allows users to leave group chats in a way that only notifies group admins. When a group member opts out, a dialog box appears that says "Only you and the group admin will be notified of leaving the group."

In another beta development, WhatsApp is testing rich link previews in status updates. Shared links in status update currently only show the URL, while the rich link preview will show a preview of the website linked to, giving users an idea of ​​what they can see when they visit the page.

The latest major rollout of new features on the WhatsApp platform earlier this month included emoji reactions, larger file transfers, and larger groups.