Catch Up Fast: Summarise Long Chats in WhatsApp and Messenger with Meta AI

Open WhatsApp or Messenger and look for Meta AI

Open the app you usually use (WhatsApp or Messenger) and look at the top of your chat list or your contacts. You should see a circular blue-purple icon labelled Meta AI, sitting alongside your usual contacts. Tap it once. A new chat window opens, just like starting a conversation with a friend. You'll know it worked when you see a short welcome message from Meta AI asking how it can help. If it looks different: some users see a glowing ring icon, a "New chat" option with an AI sparkle, or a search bar at the top — any of these can lead to Meta AI. If you see nothing related to AI, your app may need an update, or Meta AI may not yet be available in your region.

Open the chat you want summarised, side by side

Leave the Meta AI chat open, then open the long chat you want to catch up on. On most phones you can swipe down from the top of the screen to see both conversations as small floating bubbles, or simply switch between apps with the square "recent apps" button. You will see the full message history of your long chat on one screen and the Meta AI chat on the other. This makes copying easy. If it looks different: on tablets or split-screen devices you can drag the Meta AI chat to one side and the long chat to the other, so both sit next to each other at the same time.

Copy the messages you want summarised

In the long chat, press and hold the first message you want Meta AI to read, then choose Copy. For a range of messages, keep tapping each one until you have selected the section you missed (often the last 20 to 50 messages is plenty). Then tap Copy again. The text now sits on your phone's clipboard, ready to paste — like copying a paragraph from a website. If it looks different: some Android phones show a small menu with "Copy", "Forward" and "Share"; on iPhone you'll see "Copy" appear above the selected message. If selecting one-by-one is too slow, try Forward instead, then paste into the Meta AI chat in one go.

You'll know it worked when your phone briefly shows a small "Copied" label or a tick next to the selected messages.

Paste the messages into Meta AI and ask for a summary

Switch back to the Meta AI chat. Tap inside the message box, hold for a moment, and choose Paste. The copied messages appear as one long block. On a new line underneath, type a clear, kind request that tells Meta AI exactly what you want — think of this as giving instructions to a helpful assistant, not just dumping text on it. Then tap the send arrow. After a few seconds, Meta AI replies with a written summary. If it looks different: if the paste does not appear, try tapping once inside the text box first, then holding your finger down again. If Meta AI replies in a language you did not expect, add "Please reply in English" at the end of your message.

You'll know it worked when Meta AI replies with a short, structured summary rather than echoing the messages back at you.

Refine the summary if it is too long or off-target

Read Meta AI's reply. If the summary is too vague, too long, or misses what you actually care about, reply with a short follow-up message asking for a change. The assistant remembers the conversation, so you can be casual about it. Each new request usually takes a few seconds. If it looks different: if Meta AI seems stuck or repeats the same answer, try starting a brand-new chat and pasting the messages again with a clearer instruction — sometimes a fresh start produces better results.

You'll know it worked when the new summary matches what you actually wanted to know — short, focused and useful.

Save or share the summary

Once you are happy with the summary, you can save it for later or send it to someone else. Tap and hold the assistant's message, then choose Copy to put it on your clipboard, or tap Forward to send it to another chat or contact. Many phones also let you tap Share and save it straight to Notes, email or a document. If it looks different: if you don't see "Forward", tap the small arrow next to the message, or look for a three-dot menu on the message itself. From there you can usually forward, share or star the message.

You'll know it worked when the summary now lives somewhere easy to find — your notes app, a saved message, or a chat you control.