WhatsApp update lets iPhone users search messages by date!

WhatsApp is improving user experience by rolling out new features this year! Now, you can search messages by date instead of scrolling to find chats.

Quick Facts

• WhatsApp’s latest version (23.1.75) allows users to filter messages by date 
• Users will have more control over their chats and messages exchanged in the past within the app
• The feature is accessible to users of the latest iOS version

WhatsApp is also releasing other features like drag and drop media or documents from other apps like Safari, Photos, and Files. When a media file or document is dragged from another app to WhatsApp, a user can share it with their contacts. Some people have received the update and it is expected to come out for all iOS users in the coming days. 

Users can also hide their online status on the app. There is a separate section allotted under Settings < Privacy < Last Seen & Online that can be used to readjust your online status. You can accordingly choose to make it visible to everyone or a few contacts. 

The “search by date” feature allows a user to jump to a specific date and access the messages exchanged that day. WhatsApp has a reputation for dropping in new features and working on new updates to satisfy users. 

The app is secure with end-to-end encryption and ever-changing security features. It is no surprise that it boasts more than two billion monthly users.

What is Search Messages by Date for iOS?

Meta-owned app WhatsApp released a stable update for iOS users. They can update the app from the Apple App Store and access the search messages by date feature on the app. 

The popular instant messaging app voice-over-IP platform have have released the latest update with build number 23.1.75 on the Apple App Store. Users can search and find specific media in chat messages by using a date filter.

As of now, the update has only been spotted by some users and it is only a matter of time before it is universally accessible. Meanwhile, WhatsApp will allow users to send photos to other contacts in their original quality. 

Currently, photos get compressed on the app when extracted from the gallery and sent to other contacts. However, according to WaBetaInfo, the new feature, which is in development at the moment, will solve this longstanding problem for its users. 

WaBetaInfo spotted the feature in the app’s beta for the Android 2.23.2.11 update. The report claims that the messaging platform will add a new setting icon alongside the drawing tool header. 

The icon can be used to configure image quality, including their original quality. So users will have control over the quality of the pictures sent. It will be launched in the future after its development is complete. 

Not only that, but the app is also working on a feature that enables users to block unknown contacts in fewer taps. You can block a number from the chat list and the notifications bar. 

However, the block shortcut will be exclusively applicable to unreliable and unknown numbers. These new entry points to block users can’t be implemented on recognized or saved contacts.

How to use Search Messages by Date on iOS

Step 1: Open WhatsApp on your device and click on any chat from the list to search for old messages 

Step 2: Click on the contact name to open their contact info 

Step 3: Besides audio, video, and pay, a new “search” option will be added. Click on search and WhatsApp will open the chat box

Step 4: There’s an icon above the keyboard that will allow you to search for the date, month, and year you want to search messages for

WhatsApp FAQ

What does it mean when a message is “Forwarded” and “Forwarded many times” on WhatsApp?

For privacy purposes, “Forwarded” messages can be shared with five chats at a time while messages that are “Forwarded many times” can be shared with one chat at a time.

Can a user restore a message that they deleted for themselves?

After clicking on Delete for me, a user gets 5 seconds to undo the action by clicking Undo before the message is permanently deleted.