Star a message to bookmark it, so you can find an address, a bill or a lovely photo later without scrolling. And use search to find any old message by a word you remember.
Star a message
- Android: press and hold the message and tap the star ☆ at the top.
- iPhone: press and hold the message and tap Star.
- A small star appears next to the time. Do the same again (Unstar) to remove it.
See all your starred messages
- Android: on the chat list, tap ⋮ › Starred (older versions say Starred messages).
- iPhone: Settings › Starred.
- Starred messages from one person: open that chat, tap their name, then Starred messages.
Tap a starred message to jump to it inside the chat.
Search all chats
- On the main chat list, tap the search bar at the top (or the magnifying glass on Android).
- Type a word, a name or a number.
- Results show matching chats and, below them, matching messages.
- Tap a type filter such as Photos, Videos, Links, Documents or Audio to narrow the results.
Search inside one chat
- Android: open the chat › ⋮ › Search. Type the word and use the up/down arrows to move between matches.
- iPhone: open the chat › tap the name › Search.
- To see only the photos, videos, links and documents of a chat, tap the name › Media, links and docs.
Search tips
- Use one unusual word ("Aadhaar", "invoice", "ticket") instead of a whole sentence.
- Numbers like amounts or PNR numbers search well.
- Messages that disappeared, were deleted, or were never restored from a backup cannot be found.
If it doesn't work
- Starred messages gone after changing phone: stars come back only if the chat backup was restored.
- Search finds nothing: check the spelling, try another word, or search inside the exact chat.
- Photo missing from the chat: it may have been deleted from the phone's storage; the message stays but the file is gone.
Safety tip
Don't star or keep chats with OTPs, passwords or card numbers; anyone using your phone could find them in seconds. Delete such messages after use.
This is GroupChatOn’s own easy guide. We are not WhatsApp and are not linked with WhatsApp or Meta. WhatsApp sometimes changes its menus: if a button looks different on your phone, update WhatsApp from the Play Store or App Store.
Still stuck?
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Questions, or an error not listed here?
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