WhatsApp Groups Now Support @All Mentions and End Times for Polls

WhatsApp is starting to roll out various improvements to its group chats feature, including the ability to ping all participants using @all mentions. The app is also adding more granular controls for polls, with a new option to hide voter names to improve privacy.

The new @all mentions are best used to alert all members of a group about urgent updates. However, in groups with more than 32 people, they will only be available for group admins. While group participants can already mute notifications for a specific group chat, they will also be able to mute these new @all notifications.

Regarding polls, WhatsApp announced three improvements: Poll creators can now edit their poll questions within 15 minutes, set an end time for votes, and allow voters to hide their name to improve privacy.

Lastly, the app will now let users easily create new group chats from existing groups. “It’s perfect for splitting off into a side conversation to plan a surprise party, coordinate event logistics, or dive deeper into a topic without cluttering the main chat,” the WhatsApp team explained today.

If you missed it earlier, WhatsApp is still in the process of rolling out a new username system that will allow users to hide their phone numbers when joining a group or interacting with other users. You can reserve your WhatsApp username right now by going to Settings > Account > Username.