San Francisco / Tech News: WhatsApp has started rolling out a new media filtering feature for its chat gallery on the iOS beta version of the app, according to reports from beta tracking site WABetaInfo. This feature is part of the TestFlight beta release — version 26.6.10.70 — and is currently being tested by a limited group of users.
What’s New: Chat Gallery media Filters
The update introduces media filters inside individual chat galleries, allowing users to better browse and organise photos, videos, and other shared media within a conversation. Instead of scrolling endlessly through mixed content, testers will soon be able to filter items — like viewing only photos or only videos — with a tap. This promises a more streamlined and quicker way to locate specific media shared across a chat.
This improvement builds on other recent beta additions such as photo and video draft saving tools, which let iOS users save edited media without sending immediately, enhancing flexibility while sharing.
How It Works (Beta Preview)
- 📁 Chat Gallery Sorting: Inside a chat’s media gallery, users can apply filters to display only selected types of content (e.g., photos, videos, etc.).
- 📱 iOS‑Focused Test: The feature is currently available only to beta testers on iOS via TestFlight, meaning it could arrive in the public App Store build later once whatsapp refines it.
- 📅 Ongoing Beta Rollouts: Meta has been active with frequent beta updates, experimenting with media and interface enhancements before wide release.
Why This Matters
With whatsapp being a primary channel for everyday photo and video sharing globally, improved media management within chats addresses a long‑standing user need. Previously, users searching for a particular photo or video had to scroll through all shared content, making it hard to find items in busy conversations. The new filters could significantly cut down that effort.
This enhancement could also complement future tools aimed at media organisation — such as draft saving and storage management — making WhatsApp’s gallery experience more intuitive on iPhones.
When It Might Arrive for All Users
As of now, this media filter tool is limited to the whatsapp iOS beta and isn’t available to the general public. whatsapp typically tests new features with a small group of beta users before rolling them out broadly through the App Store. Once testing stabilises and the feature is refined, a public release could follow in upcoming updates throughout 2026.
Looking Ahead
WhatsApp continues to focus on enhancing user experience for media‑rich chats and iOS users in particular, with recent beta additions including photo/video draft saving and other UI improvements. With these changes, Meta’s messaging platform is moving toward smarter and more customisable media handling — a welcome upgrade for the app’s billions of users worldwide.
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