It would seem developers over at the WhatsApp offices are always working around the clock to bring you the next innovative feature on their popular instant messaging apps. You only need to look at the number of features in beta, which are currently being tested and tweaked out to agree with that statement.
Well, it would appear they have begun the journey of bringing you a much-needed feature on WhatsApp. First spotted by Android Police, WhatsApp is working on pinned chats. This new feature will enable you to pin 3 chats (from a contact or WhatsApp group) at the top. That means the 3 chats will always appear at the top even when you have new unread messages from other contacts or groups.
The pinned chats will appear at the top of the Chats tab. Although it is currently under tests and further developments, you can expect this feature update on your WhatsApp app very soon. Already users running the WhatsApp beta for Android versions 2.17.162 and 2.17.163 have this beta feature up and running.
How the Pinned Chats on WhatsApp works
You simply have to press and hold on a contact’s or group’s chat that you want to pin to the top. Select the Pin symbol that will appear at the top bar; alongside other options like Delete, Mute, and Archive.
When you pin a chat, it will always remain at the top of your chat list; even when you have new unread messages from contacts or groups. All other messages will below the 3 pinned chats within the Chats tab.
You are limited to pinning just 3 chats (it can be a contact or group chat), if you attempt pinning fourth or more chats, you will get a notification reading. ‘You can only pin up to 3 chats.’
If you want to unpin a chat, simply long press the chat and the option to disable pinned chats will appear at the top of the bar. Again; this feature is currently in beta. So you need to be a little patient before you can start using it. However, if you would like to have it right now, go over to Google Play on your Android device and sign up for WhatsApp beta. Alternatively, you can always download the APK file from the APK Mirror.