2 weeks Ago
The WhatsApp lists feature helps you keep track of all chats, phone calls, and contacts based on user-created classifications. As an extension of the Chat Filters feature, WhatsApp lists are intuitive in organizing your chats and far more useful in scope. Let’s explore how to create and manage them.
WhatsApp lists are small text filters that separate all your chat histories – and any contacts, groups and phone calls contained within them – into neat categories. They are visible on a horizontal filter bar above all your chats. You can create new WhatsApp lists by tapping the plus button at the end of the existing lists.
Categorizing my different chats based on “family,” “coworkers,” “buddies,” or “neighbors” seemed practical to me. Instead of scrolling through every chat history, I can swipe right to the relevant list on the filter bar. Whether I have different chat groups, close contacts, or just work-based messages, it can save a lot of time keeping track of each conversation.
Previously, WhatsApp only had four default lists: All , Unread , Favorites , and Groups . This feature has been extended to enable users to create their own custom lists, which they can rename, move, edit, or delete. Name these lists anything you would like.
I can see many ways WhatsApp lists could help keep track of my contacts. It’s become very complex and confusing to categorize people into the groups provided. You may have friends you work with, so you can add them into multiple lists – any that apply.
Did you enjoy being with someone you just ran into? They’re not your friends yet, so you could create a list called “interesting” for those chats. There are also contacts who keep sending annoying WhatsApp forwards. You can’t always block them , as they may be family or friends.
But you can create a list called “Check later.” These WhatsApp lists are only visible to you, so no one will have to know. Tip : did you just send a message on WhatsApp? You can easily edit it to fix grammatical errors or change the meaning of the content.
To create your own WhatsApp custom list, swipe right through the filter bar at the top of the chats. Tap the prominent + button. At the time of writing, WhatsApp is rolling out this feature slowly to different Android and iOS devices.
If you don’t find the + button on the filter bar, you need to update your WhatsApp app. Give your list a name, such as “Coworkers.” Tap Add people or groups .
It’s compulsory to add at least one chat to be able to create a list. You can add one or more contacts from Frequently contacted . You can also use the search bar to select other contacts in your WhatsApp account.
On an iOS device, Click Add to confirm your selection. Android users must tap a green check symbol followed by Create list . Once you click Done , a new custom list is created and is immediately visible under the default lists.
The contact’s entire chat history will be exported to this list. The next time you want to message them, you don’t need to scroll all the way down looking for each individual chat. You can select them from an existing list on the filter bar.
On Android, you can also create a list by tapping the three dot menu on your WhatsApp home screen, followed by Settings -> Lists -> New list . iPhone users can tap Settings -> Lists -> New list . You can drop more contacts to an existing list.
Select any chat on your WhatsApp home screen, and tap and hold. On Android, click the three-dot menu, followed by Add to list . iOS users can click Add to list .
After a list is selected, click Done . Good to know : you can also use WhatsApp channels to enable one-way messaging with all your contacts and followers. To edit an existing WhatsApp list, go to Chats on the home screen, swipe down to reveal all your lists, long-press the list, and click Edit .
On Android, tap List name to make the edit. For iOS, tap a cross icon, then rename the list. In both cases, tap Add people or groups to save the new list name.
We renamed the Coworkers list to “Work.” You can also remove any connected chats. Click the trash symbol for Android.
iOS has the red minus to remove chats. You can also edit the list name from the settings option. On iOS, go to Settings -> Lists , and select the edit icon to open the list.
Android users need to click the three-dot menu, followed by Settings -> Lists , then select a list. Apart from one-to-one contacts, you can add entire WhatsApp groups to a custom list. Swipe the filter bar to the Groups list.
Tap and long-press to select any group that you created previously, and click the three-dot menu, followed by Add to [list name] . iOS users can directly Add to list . By editing your WhatsApp list, you can access different chat groups and individual contacts from a common area.
Did you know? You can use WhatsApp stickers to convey a whole range of emotions in a more meaningful way than emojis. There are two ways to delete a WhatsApp list. In the first method, swipe down from Chats , and view all the lists.
Long-press to select one. On both Android and IOS, tap Delete list -> Delete to remove the list permanently. Alternatively on Android, go to Settings -> Lists , select a list, and tap the Trash icon next to a list to remove it permanently.
iOS users need to navigate through Settings -> Lists -> Edit , and click the red – sign. You can only delete the WhatsApp custom lists you create – not the default ones. WhatsApp offers various ways to organize your chats with multiple contacts.
Apart from WhatsApp lists, you can create WhatsApp groups to add your contacts to a phone call or chat history and a broadcast list for one-on-one private chats with each member of the list. You can further create separate WhatsApp notification sounds for specific contacts and groups. If you want more privacy, there are many reasons to believe Telegram might be a better messaging app compared to WhatsApp.
Along with Telegram, there are many other private chat alternatives, such as Signal, Wire and iMessage . Image credit: Pixabay . All screenshots by Sayak Boral.
Our latest tutorials delivered straight to your inbox Sayak Boral is a technology writer with over eleven years of experience working in different industries including semiconductors, IoT, enterprise IT, telecommunications OSS/BSS, and network security. He has been writing for MakeTechEasier on a wide range of technical topics including Windows, Android, Internet, Hardware Guides, Browsers, Software Tools, and Product Reviews..
