WhatsApp is looking to limit the spread of highly-forwarded messages during the current coronavirus pandemic, by restricting the number of persons such messages can be shared with only one chat at a time.

If you receive a message that has been forwarded to five or more people before it was sent to you, you will then only be able to send that message only to a single chat at a time.

You will be able to recognize these highly-forwarded messages by the double arrow icon next to them. WhatsApp had introduced the double arrow icons last year to identify highly forwarded messages.

”Today we are announcing a new limit so frequently forwarded messages can only be forwarded to one chat at a time. This limit kicks in once a message has been previously forwarded 5 times or more. This is the latest limit that WhatsApp has set, making us one of the few products that have taken steps to constrain virality and place limits on how people can send messages,” the Facebook-opened messaging app said on Tuesday.

Whatsapp had first moved to limit the forwarding of messages in 2018 when in a pilot test in India, it had limited sharing forwards to up to five chats at a time.

This limit was first tested in India, as WhatsApp had said that people in India forward more messages, photos, and videos than any other country. There are over 400 million WhatsApp users in India, and 2 billion globally.

The feature was scaled globally in January 2019.

WhatsApp Is also testing more features to curtail fake news and is testing a feature to let users verify forwarded messages through a web search.

This feature will be available as a 'magnifying glass icon' next to the highly forwarded messages, which users can click on to send the message to a web search where you can verify it against news reports or other information.

The feature is likely to be rolled out in the near future.

”You may have also read reports that our latest beta release contains a way to empower users to find out more information around these kinds of messages. That idea involves displaying a magnifying glass icon next to these frequently forwarded messages, giving users the option to send that message to a web search where they can find news results or other sources of information. Double-checking these messages before forwarding may help reduce the spread of rumors. This feature is currently in testing and we’ll keep you updated on the next steps,” the company said.

WhatsApp said its earlier steps taken last year to curtail virality led to a 25 percent decrease in message forwards globally.

“We know many users forward helpful information, as well as funny videos, memes, and reflections or prayers they find meaningful. In recent weeks, people have also used WhatsApp to organize public moments of support for frontline health workers.

However, we’ve seen a significant increase in the amount of forwarding which users have told us can feel overwhelming and can contribute to the spread of misinformation. We believe it’s important to slow the spread of these messages down to keep WhatsApp a place for personal conversation,” the company said in its blog post.

First Published:Apr 7, 2020 5:26 PM IST