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WhatsApp Is Testing an In-Chat Search Button for iOS

The shortcut is designed to let users enter a chat-specific message search without leaving a conversation to speed finding messages in long threads.

Overview

  • Code references in WhatsApp’s iOS TestFlight build 26.31.10.70 indicate the company is developing a new in-chat search button discovered by WABetaInfo and reported by other outlets.
  • The button is designed to appear contextually at the bottom-right of a chat when a user scrolls up through older messages, similar to the existing jump-to-latest control.
  • WhatsApp has not enabled the feature for beta testers and has given no public timeline for a TestFlight rollout or wider release, so the change remains unconfirmed for general users.
  • Tapping the new button would open the same chat-specific search mode now accessed from a chat’s info screen, so the feature speeds access but does not change search results or filters.
  • If released, the shortcut could make finding past messages much faster in long conversations by removing the step of leaving the chat, and observers say a TestFlight trial would likely precede any broad rollout.