WhatsApp gets a free update to make it easier to find your friends

WhatsApp has added new features to the chats and calls tabs to make it easier to contact your favourite people or groups.

The new favourites feature is rolling out globally.

It's been, ooh, days since WhatsApp added new features to its app – and it looks like one of the hardest working teams in tech isn't slowing down any time soon. A new update, which is rolling out to everybody now, makes it easier to find your most important contacts.

The feature enables you to save people and groups as favourites, and those favourites apply to both chats and calls – so you can filter your chats to put your favourites first and have the same people in your speed dial for calls.

In chats, you'll see the "favourites" option just below the search bar towards the top of your screen. In the calls screen your favourites will be listed above your recent calls list.

These aren't huge new features, of course, but if you're on WhatsApp a lot they'll make everyday interactions that little bit faster and easier. And with WhatsApp now being used by 100 million people in the US alone, that means it's going to be useful to a lot of people.

How to use the new favourites feature in WhatsApp

If the feature hasn't landed on your phone just yet don't worry: it's coming in the next few weeks as WhatsApp rolls it out to all users of the app.

Using the feature couldn't be simpler. In the calls tab, it's just a matter of tapping "Add Favourite" and then selecting the appropriate person or group. You can also manage your favourites in the Settings page of the app by going to Settings \> Favourites \> Add to Favourites. You can also use that part of the settings menu to re-order your Favourites in whichever order suits you best.

This isn't the only new update to the WhatsApp app. Meta is also rolling out its Meta AI features to more countries and in more languages, and last month it improved its calling features on both desktop and mobile.