WhatsApp for Android beta now lets users notify contacts of new number

WhatsApp’s Change Number feature lets users notify all or select contacts when they change their number.

WhatsApp has rolled out its Change Number feature for Android beta, according to a report in WABetaInfo. The update is now available for WhatsApp beta for Android version 2.18.97, with iOS and Windows to follow soon. WhatsApp’s Change Number feature lets users notify all or select contacts when they change their number. Users can choose to notify only people whom they chat with or all contacts at once. Do note that all that all groups that the user is a part of will be notified regardless.

The biggest advantage is that Change Number feature preserves the chat history of the user. To start using the feature, click on Settings > Account > Change number. Click on the Next button, which can be found on top-right corner. Next, users will have to enter their old and new phone numbers, then tap on the Next button. The ‘Notify my contacts’ option will sho users three options – All contacts, Contacts I have chats with, and Custom.

WhatsApp users can click on All Contacts to notify all their friends about their new number. Selecting ‘Contacts I have chats with’ will only notify people the user has had chats with. The ‘Custom’ option lets users manually select the contacts they want to notify. Remember, all WhatsApp groups that the user is a part of will be notified, regardless of which of the three options under ‘Notify my contacts’ they select.

Once number migration is done, the recipients will see all of their shared messages in old chat being transferred in new one. WhatsApp will also display a new bubble notifying the recipient the user has a new number. WhatsApp was testing the feature previously as well and it was available for Android beta version 2.17.375. However, it was limited to notifying the groups that the user is part of at that time.