WhatsApp is currently testing a new feature that will allow you to mention group chats in status updates. This is now live in the latest beta version of the app which can be found on the Google Play Store for Android.
This comes after WhatsApp previously started testing allowing you to mention contacts in status updates, so mentioning group chats could be seen as an extension of that feature. When a contact is mentioned, they will receive a notification and a message in your chat with them.
With the ability to mention group chats in a status update, you can notify entire groups in one step, without having to mention each participant individually, especially since there is a limit of five individual contacts mentioned in each status update. The group chat you mention will receive a message about your mention in the group chat itself. Additionally, all members of the group will receive a notification about this, except those who have previously muted the group chat.
A status update that mentions a group chat is automatically made visible to all members of that group, regardless of current privacy configurations. For now, it’s unclear whether there will be any restrictions on the ability to mention group chats in status updates – for example, whether there will be limits on the maximum number of participants a group can be eligible for mentions. There may also be a limit on the total number of groups that can be listed within a single status update.
All of these things will certainly become clearer as we get closer to the release of this feature for everyone.