WhatsApp has said that it is going to introduce new limits to the number of times a forwarded message can be shared in chat. The platform is doing this to curb the spread of misinformation, that is primarily shared using forwarded messages.
The limit was spotted by WABetaInfo, who found it on WhatsApp Beta version 2.22.7.2 for Android last month. It seems as though now that the Meta-owned social media platform is testing it out on beta versions of the iOS app.
Under the new restrictions, messages marked as forwarded cannot be sent to more than one group chat at a time. If you do that, WhatsApp will now show a quick notification saying, “Forwarded messages can only be sent to one group chat.”
If you still need to forward the message to another group, you will have to manually select it and send it for each individual group. WABetaInfo notes that the new limitation takes effect, even if the messages has only been forwarded once. Currently, users on Android and iOS can send forwarded messages to up to five users at a time.
So far, the limitation has only rolled out to beta testers on Android and iOS but WABetaInfo says WhatsApp is going to slowly enable the restrictions to more users in the coming weeks. Users who have installed the latest beta’s but still don’t have limits imposed on them, will also slowly see the restrictions roll out soon.
