WhatsApp’s latest update now retains a caption when forwarding media such as images, photographs, animated GIFs, various documents and similar.
- What’s happening? Meta-owned WhatsApp has changed how it handles forwarding media with a caption. The app will now retain any captions when forwarding images, videos, GIFs and documents.
- Why care? WhatsApp was removing captions from forwarded media—not ideal if the caption was supposed to convey important information to the recipient.
- What to do? Update your copy of WhatsApp for iOS to the latest version.
WhatsApp now retains a caption when forwarding media
It’s now possible to keep a caption when forwarding media such as images, videos, GIFs and documents using WhatsApp. This requires WhatsApp version 22.23.77.
The changelog accompanying the update only mentions bug fixes, but WABetaInfo has managed to confirm that captions are no longer removed when forwarding media. The site also mentions that “some lucky users” may receive this little tweak after installing the previous 22.23.76 update.
How to test if you have this feature
Like all new WhatsApp features, this one is being released to users in stages. Some people already have it but if you’re not among them, you’ll need to wait for a new update on the App Store. To test if you already have this feature, simply forward an image with a caption to someone or yourself.
If the feature is enabled for your account, you should notice a new view at the bottom. Of course, this change doesn’t mean that all forwarded media suddenly must include a caption, not at all. Simply remove the caption before forwarding the message if you don’t want to forward the caption along with your media.
How to update WhatsApp for iPhone to the latest version
To update your copy of the app, follow the App Store link for WhatsApp to land on its store page, then click the Update button. If you don’t see this option, your iPhone has already updated WhatsApp to the most recent version.
If you’d like to see the version number of the currently installed WhatsApp on your iPhone, open the app and touch the Settings tab, then select the Help option from the list. The currently installed version number is displayed at the top of the interface. Read: How to send messages on WhatsApp to non-contacts