WhatsApp now lets you easily tag people in group chats

By Harish Jonnalagadda
published

WhatsApp beta has picked up an update to 2.16.272 that lets users tag people in group chats. To tag someone in a chat, just use the @ symbol and start typing out the contact's name. You'll see suggestions pop up as you start typing, and you can even tag multiple contacts in the same message if you like annoying several people at once. Even if the intended contact has that particular group chat muted, he or she will receive the notification once you tag them.

If you're like me and are enrolled in several WhatsApp groups that you have no intention of being in, the new update makes it harder to ignore conversations that have no bearing on your life. I'm sure there are individuals having meaningful conversations on WhatsApp. I just have trouble believing that they belong to this dimension.

Today's "feature" should be making its way to the stable client in the coming weeks. Enjoy the solace while it lasts, folks.

Harish Jonnalagadda
Harish Jonnalagadda
Senior Editor - Asia

Harish Jonnalagadda is a Senior Editor overseeing Asia at Android Central. He leads the site's coverage of Chinese phone brands, contributing to reviews, features, and buying guides. He also writes about storage servers, audio products, and the semiconductor industry. Contact him on Twitter at @chunkynerd.

19 Comments
  • Should be OK. Most of the times people in group chats don't name individuals
  • hmmm... i think it's somehow gotten released to production (non beta) as well...
  • Will be really useful for our family group chat.
  • Hmmm! I don't like Whatsapp any more since they share all your data with Facebook! (Good thing I don't have fb huh).
  • This lets all that info share work better by linking people together.
  • I know that's Google keyboard, but what theme has the tab button like that?
  • This is a nice thing
  • This is an original concept - a review of an app feature that's based on the assumption that no one has a good use for that app... Very unbiased indeed!
    I agree that whatsapp groups may become a nuisance, but nevertheless, it is the main channel for IM and group chat in many countries. AC - don't let editors who hate an app review it, it's useless.
  • I use WhatsApp every single day. I like most things about it, but I'm not a fan of how group chats are handled.
  • What's the issue with group chat handling? Seems similar to how other apps handle them? As for how people use group chats.....I guess you're right that it's mostly inane banter. Mute works well though. My big issue with WhatsApp is the storage / management of media. A lot of people have decided that groups are the best way to share photos - but they just end up clogging up the phone. I wish there was an intelligent Google Photos like way of storing pics in the cloud and not counting against local storage.
  • Groups are very basic. I just mute all of them because I don't want my phone notifying me constantly.
  • WhatsApp mentions to Groups; notifications to appear even on muted chats.
  • You aren't aware of the author's context. I can easily relate with him, as in India, you are in at least 20-30 WhatsApp groups where people keep sharing something useless all the time. Previously, you could've ignored the (useless) message meant for you saying the excuse that you keep all the groups on Mute. Now you have no excuse to not read the message and you'll have to reply, even if you don't want to!
    Saying that, this is a fantastic feature but there should be an option (and I suspect there will be) to ignore people tags when the chat/group's on mute.
  • i like the google hangouts better
  • I think this is really cool!
  • How about releasing the ability to send GIFs I need that like yesterday yo!
  • If the author doesn't believe in meaningful conversations on WhatsApp, and is so bothered by being in group chats, why bother using the app and providing a feature news update on it? He is more than entitled to his opinion but a news update like this would be more helpful to readers if the author was a heavy user of the app and group chats?
  • Every one in India (where the author is from) is a heavy user of WhatsApp. It is the default way of communication in India, not SMS.
  • That's actually a bit useful for making it clear who you are aiming something at in a group chat. As long as you can't start tagging people into other conversations they aren't in!