Forming groups in messaging apps such as WhatsApp is pretty easy and useful. You can announce something important and it will be delivered to everyone in the group. This negates the need to send individual messages.

Over the years, WhatsApp has grown its list of features, and now it has done the same with group chats. Notably, in a new update, WhatsApp has increased the group chat capacity to over 500 people.

Previously, the group chat capacity was limited to 256 people, and now it has been increased to 512, just double what it was earlier. This change has been in the works for quite some time, for months, and now it is finally here for the users to enjoy.

WhatsApp users on both Android and iOS will receive an update that will bring the ability to add up to 512 members to a group, which is insane, as spotted by WABetaInfo.

For some, the update may appear instantly, but for others, it may take some time. So, if you haven’t received the update, then make sure to check the Play Store for it.

WhatsApp’s increased group chat member feature could be helpful for organizations

Moreover, there is no need for any input from your side. Once the update is installed, WhatsApp will automatically change the participant limit. To cross-check, you can create a new group and select the first participant, and see is the limit on top of the screen.

If it says that you have added 1 of 512 members, then voila! The number of group chat members has increased, and you can continue adding more people to the group.

While this is a nice move to increase the number of members for a group chat, it is pretty challenging to understand the scenario where one would need 512 members in a group.

As noted by AndroidPolice, this could be a nice feature for an organization having a large number of employees. Since a normal user won’t have 512 active WhatsApp members, unless you are planning a party, again not a very real scenario.

Organizations can send in important information about their company using this group of 512 members. There are other endless scenarios for organizations or companies to utilize this increased WhatsApp group chat member feature.

WhatsApp is also working on Google Drive exports. Notably, this will allow you to export your backup to Google Drive. It is also working on bringing tweaks to the status feature to allow you to change it quickly.