WhatsApp is quietly turning its Channels feature into a more data‑driven broadcast tool, and the latest step lands on iPhone. In the newest iOS beta, channel owners can now see how often each update is forwarded, giving them a clearer sense of what actually travels beyond their immediate followers. It is a small interface tweak with big implications for how newsrooms, brands, and creators judge the reach and resonance of their posts.
Instead of guessing which channel updates spark private sharing, I can now point to a concrete forward count that sits alongside traditional engagement signals like reactions and views. The feature arrives first in a TestFlight build, but it is already aligning WhatsApp with a broader shift in social platforms, where the spread of content, not just raw impressions, is becoming the metric that matters.
How the new iOS beta surfaces forward counts
On iOS, the forward metric is tied to a specific beta build, identified as version 26.4.10.71 within the broader 26.4 line of updates. In that release, channel admins can open a post and see how many times it has been forwarded, turning what used to be a hidden pattern of private shares into a visible signal of distribution. The feature is framed as an analytics tool rather than a public badge, so the count is visible to the channel owner but not to regular followers, which keeps the focus on insight rather than social proof, as detailed in the notes for the 26.4.10.71 beta.
The company is positioning this as a way to understand how far a message travels without exposing individual user behavior, and the design reflects that balance. Instead of listing who forwarded what, the interface simply aggregates the total number of forwards for each update, keeping the underlying forwarding actions private while still giving admins a sense of scale. That privacy‑first framing is consistent with how WhatsApp has historically handled metadata, and it helps explain why the forward count is tucked into the channel’s analytics view rather than splashed across the main feed, a choice that is also highlighted in coverage of the new iOS analytics feature.
Parity with Android and the 2.26.4.11 rollout
The iOS beta does not exist in isolation, it follows a similar capability that arrived earlier for Android testers. On Android, the feature is tied to version 2.26.4.11, part of the 2.26 series distributed through the Google Play Beta. There, channel admins can already see how many times a specific update has been forwarded, and the iOS implementation closely mirrors that behavior, suggesting WhatsApp is working toward feature parity across platforms rather than treating one ecosystem as an experiment.
Technical notes on the Android side describe the same 2.26 and 4.11 identifiers, confirming that the forward count is part of a coordinated rollout rather than a one‑off test. In practice, that means an admin who manages a channel from both an Android phone and an iPhone should eventually see the same analytics view, with the forward count sitting alongside other stats. The Android documentation also links this feature to a broader analytics push in the 2.26.4.11 beta, reinforcing the idea that WhatsApp is standardizing how Channels report performance regardless of device.
Why forward counts matter for channels
For channel owners, the new metric changes how success is defined. Instead of relying solely on reactions or passive impressions, admins can now see which posts are compelling enough to be passed along in private chats or groups, a behavior that often signals deeper interest or trust. Reporting on the feature notes that the count reflects how many times a channel update is forwarded after it is first published, giving admins a clearer picture of organic spread beyond their immediate follower base, a shift that is described as an insightful update for Channels.
That focus on forwards aligns WhatsApp with a broader trend in social analytics, where the depth of engagement matters more than raw reach. On other platforms, views are increasingly treated as a stronger engagement signal, with creators told that a drop in impressions does not automatically mean their content has lost quality, as some views guidance makes clear. By surfacing forward counts, WhatsApp is effectively saying that what people choose to share in private, not just what they scroll past, is the metric that should guide editorial and creative decisions inside Channels.
Privacy, encryption, and what admins can actually see
Any time a messaging app exposes new analytics, the obvious question is what that means for privacy. In this case, the forward count is explicitly designed to preserve end‑to‑end encryption and user anonymity, even as it gives admins more data. Reports on the Android Beta implementation emphasize that the feature does not reveal who forwarded a message or to whom it was sent, only the aggregate number of times it was shared, and they stress that the underlying messages remain protected by end‑to‑end encryption for 4.11 users in the test group.
On iOS, the same principle applies, the analytics view shows a simple counter rather than a list of accounts or chats, and the feature description reiterates that the number of times a channel update has been forwarded is private to the admin. That means the metric functions more like an audience insight than a surveillance tool, giving channel owners a way to compare posts without exposing any individual user’s behavior. The privacy framing is consistent with the explanation that the forward count is part of a broader effort to enhance the user’s experience while keeping personal data shielded, a balance that is also highlighted in coverage of the channel update on the news side.
Who can try it now and what comes next
For now, the forward count on iOS is limited to testers who have access to the WhatsApp beta through Apple’s TestFlight system. To join, users need to accept an invitation and then Install the TestFlight app on their iOS or iPadOS device, Open the invitation email, and tap View in TestFlight to add the beta build. Once enrolled, they receive the 26.4.10.71 update through the same channel, and channel admins in that group can start seeing forward counts on their posts. The separate public listing for the WhatsApp Business beta on TestFlight, accessible through a dedicated join link, shows how tightly controlled these test slots are, which explains why the feature is not yet visible to the broader iOS audience.
On Android, access is handled through the Google Play Beta, where users who have opted in receive version 2.26.4.11 and can already experiment with the new analytics. Early coverage of the Android Beta rollout, credited By Syeda Fazeelat, and the iOS coverage, attributed By Fatima Nadeem, both frame the feature as part of a steady cadence of channel‑focused improvements. Given that pattern, it is reasonable to expect the forward count to move from beta to stable builds once WhatsApp is satisfied with the testing data, although the exact timing of that wider release remains Unverified based on available sources.
