WhatsApp adds pinned‑message notifications and username feature

WhatsApp’s Android beta program has begun notifying chat participants when a message is pinned. The new alert appears as a standard notification reading “Contact name pinned a message”, ensuring that even users who do not open the app regularly see pinned content. The feature is currently rolling out to beta testers on version 2.26.7.4 and 2.26.7.5, with a wider release planned before the next stable version.

In parallel, WhatsApp announced an upcoming username system that will let users start chats without sharing phone numbers. Each username will be unique, can be reserved in advance, and will preserve the platform’s private‑chat model – there will be no public directory and an optional “username key” can add extra protection against unwanted contacts. The company aims to enable the feature for all users by the end of the year. Additional beta tweaks include a birthday‑section that will draw on existing phone‑book data and ongoing AI‑driven improvements.