WhatsApp may soon let iPhone users open any link in an in-app browser

WhatsApp is working on an optional in-app browser so iPhone users can open any chat link inside the app, 9to5Mac's report by Marcus Mendes says. He published it on Oct 19, 2026, at 5:01 pm PT. Mendes, a Brazilian tech podcaster and journalist closely following Apple since the mid-2000s, began covering Apple news in Brazilian media in 2012 and hosted a daily podcast for seven years. Last year the browser was limited to certain business links. Beta testers cannot use it yet.

WhatsApp may soon let iPhone users open any: what actually changed

Last May, WABetaInfo reported that WhatsApp had begun testing a feature that would allow "users to view certain HTTPS-secured business sites within the app." The sites in that test were business sites, and they were HTTPS-secured. Testers could leave the in-app view: the three-dot menu included an option to open those links in the default browser. That is the limited in-app browser support for certain business links that WhatsApp introduced last year. The test did not cover every address shared in a chat.

WABetaInfo now says WhatsApp is working on extending this support to all in-chat links. The feature is not yet available to beta testers. The site uncovered references in the latest TestFlight build and shared screenshots of the planned control. A new "In-app browser" option under Settings > Chats would let users choose whether links open directly within WhatsApp or in their default browser. The wider set is any link on the chat screen, not only certain HTTPS-secured business sites from the May test.

WhatsApp may soon let iPhone users open any: how it works

Users will enable the in-app browser from the app settings. WhatsApp will add an option called "In-app browser" under Settings > Chats, and that option chooses whether links open directly within WhatsApp or in the default browser. With it on, users can open any link they send and receive in the chat screen. WABetaInfo uncovered that path in the latest TestFlight build and shared screenshots of the screen. Last May's business-site test used a different exit: the three-dot menu opened those HTTPS-secured sites in the default browser.

The first time someone enables the option, WhatsApp shows a bottom sheet that explains how the feature works. The sheet informs users that they can now open any link within WhatsApp rather than in the default browser. Users will be able to restore the default browser at any time. The same settings screen clears cookies, cache, and other browsing data stored by WhatsApp's in-app browser. Screenshots of that screen come from the latest TestFlight build, and beta testers still cannot open the feature.

WhatsApp may soon let iPhone users open any: why it matters now

Last May's test let users view certain HTTPS-secured business sites inside the app, with the three-dot menu still able to open the default browser. The latest TestFlight references extend support to all in-chat links, any link a person sends or receives on the chat screen. "In-app browser" under Settings > Chats takes effect when someone enables it. Users can keep the default browser instead, and they can restore that browser at any time. Beta testers still cannot turn the option on.

WABetaInfo notes that "WhatsApp cannot see links shared in the conversation and which ones users open." The line accompanies a browser that would load those chat links inside the app. From Settings > Chats, users could clear cookies, cache, and other browsing data the in-app browser stores. May's three-dot menu was an exit only for certain HTTPS-secured business sites. The privacy sentence and the data-clearing control are both in the latest TestFlight description, with no date for beta testers or the general public.

WhatsApp may soon let iPhone users open any: who is affected

Beta testers and the general public are both still waiting for the option. WABetaInfo found references in the latest TestFlight build, shared screenshots, and there is no word on when the feature will reach either group. A missing date is what usually follows references discovered in WhatsApp's TestFlight builds. A build with the option would show the first-enable bottom sheet, let users restore the default browser at any time, and clear cookies, cache, and other browsing data from the same screen.

WhatsApp may soon let iPhone users open any: what to watch

There is currently no word on when WhatsApp will make the feature available to beta testers or the general public. Screenshots show an "In-app browser" label under Settings > Chats, and beta testers still cannot turn it on. Until a build offers the switch, the in-app viewing described as already in testing is last May's support for certain HTTPS-secured business sites. The three-dot menu opened those sites in the default browser. Opening every in-chat link inside the app is not available to beta testers or the general public.

The option to look for is "In-app browser" under Settings > Chats. Turned on, it lets users open any link they send and receive in the chat screen inside WhatsApp. First enable shows a bottom sheet: any link can open within WhatsApp rather than in the default browser, and the default browser can be restored at any time. The same screen clears cookies, cache, and other browsing data. WABetaInfo states that "WhatsApp cannot see links shared in the conversation and which ones users open."