Tengrinews.kz — WhatsApp has begun a gradual rollout of a redesigned group chat info screen for its iOS app. The updated interface, already available to select beta testers, mirrors the design language previously introduced in the Android version of the messenger.
What will change
According to reports from the company’s blog. The primary change involves a streamlined navigation system: the group info screen is now divided into three tabs: "Members," "Media," and "Settings." Additionally, two new sections—Preferences and Privacy—have been introduced to group related parameters together.
According to the company, the goal of these changes is to speed up access to key features and eliminate the need for users to scroll through long lists of settings.
"The new interface allows users to find what they are looking for faster by making the most important settings immediately visible. Instead of a long list, parameters are now organized by category," the report states.
New Tab Features
The "Members" tab now displays a full list of group participants with their names and roles. Administrators remain marked with a distinct label. From here, users can view any member's profile or initiate a private chat.
Illustration: wabetainfo.com
The "Media" tab consolidates the "Media, Links, and Docs" and "Kept Messages" sections, which were previously located at the top of the group info screen. Their functionality remains unchanged; only their placement has shifted.
The "Settings" tab brings together core group chat parameters, including member permissions, notifications, additional privacy settings, and other options. Modifying each parameter still opens a separate screen.
New Preferences and Privacy Sections
The interface also features two additional blocks.
The Preferences section consolidates settings related to the chat itself:
- Chat Theme — choosing a specific design for the chat;
- Media Visibility — configuring whether group media files appear in the device's gallery;
- Manage Storage — viewing the amount of storage space occupied by the chat history.
As the company’s blog notes, moving these functions to a dedicated section helps declutter the main group info screen.
"By moving these features to a secondary section, WhatsApp makes the primary group info screen less cluttered," the report says.
The Privacy section brings together security-related tools. It includes Chat Lock, which secures a chat using biometric authentication or a device passcode, and Encryption, where users can verify that the conversation is protected by end-to-end encryption.
First Android, Now iPhone
The redesigned group info screen first appeared in the WhatsApp beta for Android last month. Now, iOS users are beginning to receive a similar interface.
According to the company, the new version is already rolling out to some members of the testing program via TestFlight. The update is being implemented gradually and may appear not only for beta testers but also for some users on the latest App Store version of the app.
If the new interface is not yet available, it does not mean the feature is missing entirely. According to the source, it should become available to more users in the coming weeks.
WhatsApp has not yet specified when the update will be available to all iPhone owners.