12 WhatsApp Features You Should Try in 2026

A WhatsApp conversation open on a smartphone

WhatsApp is the app most of us open more than any other. It also keeps adding features that most users never notice.

Many of them hide inside Settings menus that nobody ever opens. Others sit just one long-press away in the chats you use every day. Here are 12 WhatsApp features that are genuinely worth trying in 2026.

Chat and Messaging

1. Chat Themes You can change your chat bubble colors and wallpaper, either for every chat at once or for one specific conversation. Find it under Settings, then Chats, then Default chat theme, or open a chat and choose Chat theme from the top menu.
2. Events in Chats and Groups You can create an event with a name, date, location, and even a WhatsApp call link, right inside a chat. Members can reply Going, Maybe, or Not going, so nobody has to scroll through fifty messages to find the plan. Open a chat or group, tap the plus or paperclip icon, and choose Event.
3. Edit Sent Messages You can fix a typo in a message you already sent instead of deleting it and typing it again. Long-press the message and tap Edit, and you have up to 15 minutes to change it.
4. Search Messages by Date You can jump straight to the messages from one specific day instead of scrolling back for weeks. Open a chat, start a search, and tap the calendar icon to pick the date.
5. HD Photos and Videos by Default You can stop WhatsApp from shrinking your photos by making HD the standard upload quality. Go to Settings, then Storage and data, then Media upload quality, and choose HD quality. Your photos keep more detail, although the files are bigger and use more data.

Everyday WhatsApp chats hide more options than most people realise

Privacy and Safety

6. Chat Lock with a Secret Code You can lock individual chats behind your fingerprint or face, away from your main chat list. Open a chat, tap the contact or group name, and turn on Chat lock. You can also set a secret code, which hides the Locked Chats folder until you type the code into search.
7. Passkeys for Your Account You can protect and verify your account with your fingerprint, face, or device PIN instead of relying only on SMS codes. Go to Settings, then Account, then Passkeys to set one up. You can add more than one passkey if you use WhatsApp on different devices.
8. Silence Unknown Callers Calls from numbers that are not in your contacts can be silenced automatically, which cuts down spam calls. The calls still appear in your Calls tab, so you can check them later. Turn it on under Settings, then Privacy, then Calls.
9. Protect Your IP Address on Calls Your calls can be routed through WhatsApp servers so the other person cannot see your IP address and approximate location. Find it under Settings, then Privacy, then Advanced, and turn on Protect IP address in calls. Call quality can drop slightly on very slow connections.

Calls and Extras

10. Guest Calling with Call Links Anyone can now join your voice or video call through a link, even if they do not have a WhatsApp account. Guests open the link in a computer browser and wait for you to approve them, and calls can include up to 32 people. Go to the Calls tab, tap the plus icon, and create a call link to share.
11. Screen Sharing on Video Calls You can share your phone screen during a video call, which is handy for showing photos or helping family with their phone. During a video call, tap the screen-sharing icon and choose what to share. WhatsApp also warns you if you try to share your screen with someone who is not in your contacts, a small guard against scammers.
12. Meta AI Reminders You can ask Meta AI inside WhatsApp to remind you about something at a set time, once or on a repeating schedule. Open the Meta AI chat and describe the task and the time in plain words. You can review or delete your reminders from the Scheduled list in that chat, although Meta AI is still only available in some countries.

WhatsApp video calls now work even for guests without an account

Tips to Get More Out of These Features

Pair Chat Lock with a secret code. Locking a chat still leaves a visible Locked Chats folder at the top of your list. Add a secret code and that folder disappears completely, reappearing only when you type the code into the search bar. It is the closest thing WhatsApp has to a hidden folder for your most private conversations.

Use Events for every group plan. Create the event inside the group chat and add a WhatsApp call link, so anyone who cannot come in person can still join from home. The Going, Maybe, and Not going replies give you a headcount at a glance, with no need to read through days of messages.

Switch on both call protections together. Silence Unknown Callers stops spam and scam calls from ringing, while Protect IP Address in Calls hides your network address and rough location from the people you call. Silenced calls still show up in your Calls tab, so you can always check afterwards whether one of them was actually important.

Give your most-used chats their own theme. A different colour for your family group, your work chat, and your partner makes each conversation recognisable the moment you open it. It is a small trick, but it makes sending a message to the wrong chat much less likely.

WhatsApp Features FAQ

Are all of these WhatsApp features free? Yes, every feature in this list is built into the standard WhatsApp app. None of them needs a subscription, an in-app purchase, or a paid add-on.
Meta AI is also free to use in the countries where it is available.

Do these features work on both iPhone and Android? Yes, all 12 features are available in the WhatsApp apps for both iPhone and Android. New features sometimes reach one platform a few weeks before the other, and Meta AI is still limited to certain countries, so a missing feature usually just means your update has not arrived yet.

How do I update WhatsApp to get the newest features? Open the App Store on iPhone or the Google Play Store on Android, search for WhatsApp, and tap Update. Turning on automatic updates for the app means you will not have to remember to check.

None of these features needs a third-party app or a modified version of WhatsApp. Every one of them is already inside the official app on your phone. Update WhatsApp to the latest version, try two or three of them today, and your daily chats will feel a little smarter.