If you thought the limit of 100 users in WhatsApp groups didn’t make sense, here’s some good news for you. WhatsApp have changed the limit on the number of people allowed to a group chat on their app, going from a maximum of 100 people to a maximum of 256 participants .

A really strange number …

Why just 256 users?

This is the second change for Whatsapp groups . Participants first admitted to a group cha. Then, in 2014, the limit went up to 100. Now it’s up to 256.

The update that increases the limit of chat participants will be released in the next few days and will be gradually available first on Android, then on iPhone and via all other phone models such as Blackberry and Windows Phone.

To verify that even on your phone you can create groups with 256 participants, just open one and click on the group name in the center in the top bar. This will open the group info page (photo below) where the number of participants is shown:

Why do WhatsApp groups now allow adding 256 participants?

The news was released shortly after the announcement that WhatsApp has eliminated the annual fee of 89 euro cents. This suggests that there is a direct link between the free WhatsApp and the expansion of group chats.

Having a greater number of participants in a group could be an important advantage for those who want to use WhatsApp in the business environment . Companies will be able to send their surveys, communicate more easily with customers and therefore have a wider audience of listeners to interact with. A choice that is perfectly in line with the new need to generate earnings with an app that – as mentioned before – can no longer rely on the 89 cent fee.

This seems the most plausible explanation. In fact, it is difficult for private users to decide to create a group with 256 people. Imagine how many notifications and how many messages to manage. What life would that be?