WhatsApp is developing an optional iPhone feature that would open links shared in chats inside the messaging app. Users could choose whether to use WhatsApp’s built-in browser or send each link to their device’s default browser.
WABetaInfo identified work on the feature, as first reported by MacRumors. The planned capability would apply broadly to links exchanged in conversations, extending beyond the business-related links that WhatsApp already opens within the app.
The setting would put browser choice in Chats preferences
A proposed control sits in WhatsApp’s Chats preferences on iPhone. It would allow people to decide where supported web addresses open, preserving the current option of using the phone’s default browser for those who prefer Safari or another installed browser.
The internal viewer would keep a person in WhatsApp while they read a linked page, rather than moving them to a separate browser app. That may make short tasks such as checking a shared article, event page or product listing more seamless within an active conversation.
The planned browser also includes controls to delete cookies, cached files and other browsing information. Those tools matter because an in-app viewer can build up site data separately from the browser a person normally uses on their iPhone. Giving users a way to clear that data could make the feature easier to manage for people who share links frequently or want tighter control over stored web information.
WhatsApp would broaden an existing browsing feature
WhatsApp already handles some business-related web links inside the app. Expanding that approach to ordinary chat links would make the service a more complete destination for conversations that move between messages and the web.
The change also carries practical weight for how people navigate links sent through one of the world’s most widely used messaging services. A default browser choice means users could retain familiar privacy settings, saved logins and content controls, while the internal option offers fewer app switches during a chat.
WhatsApp has not confirmed a release date, whether the browser will first appear in a beta build, or which iPhone and iOS versions it will support. The capability remains under development, so its final design and availability could still change before a public rollout.
This article was produced with AI assistance from multi-source reporting and is published under our editorial standards.
