After letting you message people without adding them to the contact list, WhatsApp is now looking to cut down a big menace on its platform, forwarded messages. The Facebook-owned messaging platform has rolled out a new update for users which labels all messages that are forwarded to them.
The update, still in its beta version seems to be rolling out to select Android users on WhatsApp.
This feature ensures that users are aware about spam content which is passed on to them, cutting down on the rampant spread of fake information that has become a big issue for the platform.
The feature, when it officially rolls out, should hit users with new WhatsApp update, under the version 2.18.180. This is what the forward label on a WhatsApp message will look like.
More than anything else, the Forward label is a sign that WhatsApp is looking to fix the mess at its end. It has been constantly blamed for spreading wrong information, which is likely to instigate communal hatred or violence.
With countries like India (one of its biggest market) heading into elections in 2019, these measures were long overdue.
This feature is one of the many that WhatsApp has added in recent times. Under “Admin controls” in Group settings, as the name suggests, admins can restrict who can change the group's subject, icon and description.
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