WhatsApp update to let people 'pin' conversations, making it easier to ignore boring chats

The update will make it harder to miss important chats – and easier to miss the less important ones

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WhatsApp is set to add a new feature to make it easier to keep an eye on important chats.

The Facebook-owned app is adding a new feature to let people pin certain conversations to the top of their list.

The change will also mean that less important chats can be more easily ignored, since they can be pushed down to the bottom – even if people are talking in them incessantly.

The update is one of a huge range of features that the app has introduced recently to try and encourage group chats and other uses for the app.

The pinning feature has been found in beta versions of the app. But it's expected to roll out in a software update soon, and will probably be added to both the iOS and Android versions of the app.

It works by letting people press and hold on a chat, it will bring up a pin option alongside the delete and mute features that have already been added. If that's pressed, the chat will always stay at the top of the list of conversations – making it much easier to find and harder to dismiss.

Only three chats can be pinned to the top, but they can be switched around whenever and however a user wants.

The beta is also testing out a special Change Number feature that will make it far easier to change the mobile number associated with an account.