Meta’s WhatsApp launches new service for UAE users

Dubai: Social media giant Meta-owned messaging application WhatsApp has launched its ‘List’ service for UAE users.

WhatsApp users in the country received a message early Friday morning alerting them of the new feature allowing users to create to organise chats. If users are tired of struggling to find certain conversations, now, they can slot them into custom categories called Lists.

Users can tap the + button on the filter bar at the top of the chats to “get started”. “Make the most important conversations easier to find. From family and friends to work and neighbours, filter your chats in a way that works for you,” read the message.

Users can then enter a name for their list and choose which conversations to add. WhatsApp allows users to add group chats and one-on-one conversations to the lists. Those with multiple lists can scroll horizontally on the filter bar to view all of them.

Users can create and label lists dedicated to specific chats, such as those with family or work colleagues. The messaging app will then display them at the very top of your inbox, alongside the “All,” “Unread,” and “Groups”. WhatsApp introduced these features in early 2024.

WhatsApp rolled out the List service to its users in the US in November last year.  

The messaging application also introduced an easier way to plan events on the app last year. This feature has yet to make its way to the US.

Last month, Meta rolled out the ‘Meta AI’ feature to WhatsApp users in the UAE.

CNBC reported last week that the company intends to debut a Meta AI standalone app during the second quarter, citing people familiar with the matter. It marks a significant step in Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s plans to make his company the leader in artificial intelligence by the end of the year, ahead of competitors such as OpenAI and Alphabet, said the people, who asked not to be named because the project is confidential.

The Meta AI chatbot launched in September 2023, with the company pitching it as a generative AI-powered digital assistant that can provide responses and create images based on user prompts within its existing apps. The company brought Meta AI to the forefront of its apps in April last year when it replaced the search feature for Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger with the chatbot.