WhatsApp increases group chat limit to 1,024 participants

Group chats on WhatsApp are set to expand substantially after an update increasing the limit to 1,024 concurrent participants.

The current cap of 512 is being doubled, which still puts WhatsApp far behind rival Telegram’s 200,000 group chat member limit. Spotted by WABetainfo, it seems that the increased group chat limits are becoming available to beta users on Android and iOS.

When creating a new group, you might spot that the member cap in the upper-right of the screen will allow you to select a further 1,023 participants. At this stage, it’s not clear if you can expand the limit of existing group chats, but we’re sure this will be available as the function rolls out more widely. 

This expanded limit might prove helpful for large groups, businesses, or organizations. While the raised limit is small, managing and policing such large groups does pose its own problems. This update comes shortly after WhatsApp raised group calls to a measly 32 participants alongside a more useful “Call Link” option for sharing group call information.

Even with the latest WhatsApp beta build installed on your smartphone, you may not see the expanded group limit yet. However, it is likely to roll out slowly as Meta pushes it to more users.