WhatsApp adds document upload to Meta AI chat for iOS beta testers
Meta is rolling out document upload support to Meta AI in WhatsApp for iOS beta users, according to WABetaInfo. The feature, already available to Android beta testers, allows users to share PDFs and spreadsheets directly from the in-chat attachment menu instead of relying on screenshots.
WhatsApp adds document upload to Meta AI chat for iOS beta testers
Meta is rolling out document upload support to Meta AI in WhatsApp for iOS beta users, according to WABetaInfo. The feature, already available to Android beta testers, allows users to share PDFs and spreadsheets directly from the in-chat attachment menu.
The functionality appears in WhatsApp beta for iOS version 26.20.10.72, available through TestFlight. Users can now upload documents to Meta AI from the same attachment menu used for sharing photos, eliminating the need to copy and paste text or take screenshots of lengthy files.
Current limitations
Meta AI's file support in WhatsApp has been limited to photos. Users can upload images from their iPhone's gallery or capture new ones within the chat, then ask questions about the photo content. The addition of document support brings WhatsApp's Meta AI closer to competing AI assistants that already handle file uploads.
How it works
According to WABetaInfo, the document sharing option appears in the in-chat attachment menu. Users can send files directly to Meta AI, which analyzes the document content to provide targeted answers. The AI can work through problems step by step when presented with questions or issues within the document.
The feature is currently available to "some beta testers" on iOS, with a wider rollout planned "over the coming weeks," according to WABetaInfo. A limited number of users on the App Store version of WhatsApp may also have access to the feature.
Android rollout timeline
The document sharing capability had already begun rolling out to WhatsApp beta for Android before appearing in the iOS TestFlight build. Meta has not disclosed when the feature will reach all users on stable releases.
What this means
This update addresses a significant capability gap between Meta AI and competing assistants like ChatGPT and Claude, which have supported document uploads for months. The feature makes Meta AI more practical for analyzing contracts, spreadsheets, and other document types that don't translate well to screenshots. However, the staggered beta rollout and Meta's history of slow feature deployments mean widespread availability remains uncertain.
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