WhatsApp is working on a new in-chat search button for iPhone that will let users search older messages without opening the chat info screen first. The shortcut will appear directly inside a conversation when users scroll up through older messages, which should make message searches faster in long chats.
At the moment, iPhone users need to tap the contact or group name, open the chat info screen, select Search, and then return to the conversation with search mode enabled. The new button removes those extra steps and lets users start searching from the chat itself.
Don’t miss the best of The Mac Observer
Set us as a preferred source and our Apple reporting ranks higher in your Google Search results and Discover feed — one tap, no account changes.
WhatsApp plans to show the search button while scrolling
WABetaInfo found references to the feature in WhatsApp beta for iOS 26.31.10.70, which is available through TestFlight, although the button itself has not yet been enabled for beta testers.
“The new search button does not sit permanently at the bottom of the screen. It only appears when users scroll up through the conversation. This is the same behavior as the button that lets users jump back to the latest message.”
The button will appear in the bottom-right corner while users move through older messages and disappear again when they return to the latest part of the conversation. It will activate the same search mode already available through the chat info screen, so WhatsApp is mainly changing how quickly users can reach it.
The feature remains under development, and WhatsApp has not announced when it will reach beta testers or the wider iOS app. Once available, the shortcut should make searching older messages much easier for users who regularly return to long conversations.
Discussion