ALKHOBAR: Before the family gathers in person, much of the conversation has already happened. Someone has sent the morning greeting. An aunt has shared a photograph from years ago. A cousin has announced an engagement. Plans for Friday lunch have been discussed, changed and discussed again. By the time everyone arrives, the family WhatsApp group has been active for hours. For 27-year-old Lama Al-Qahtani, the group includes relatives who live in different cities and others she sees almost every week. It is part noticeboard, part family archive and part conversation that rarely has a clear beginning or end. “Sometimes I wake up and there are 60 messages, and it could be something important or it could just be everyone discussing where we should have dinner,” she said. “But if something happens in the family, that is also the first place we hear about it.” For generations, the majlis has provided Saudi families with a physical place to meet, exchange news and maintain relationships. It remains a central part of social life, but conversations once largely dependent on being in the same room now have an equivalent digital space. Family group chats have not replaced the majlis; rather, they increasingly fill the days between visits. The shift sits within a country where connectivity has become nearly universal. Saudi Arabia’s Communications, Space and Technology Commission reported internet penetration of 99 percent in 2024, with mobile phones accounting for 99.4 percent of internet access. WhatsApp has long been prominent. The commission’s data for 2023 showed that 90.9 percent of internet users in the Kingdom made use of the application, ahead of other social platforms including Snapchat, YouTube and TikTok. But within families, the significance of the group chat is less about how often an application is opened than what happens inside it. Births and engagements are announced. Condolences are shared. Addresses are dropped before gatherings. Pictures that stayed unseen in albums are photographed again and sent to younger relatives. A question intended for one person can quickly become a discussion involving three generations. For Abdullah Al-Harbi, 34, who moved from his hometown for work, the family group is often the easiest way to remain part of ordinary family life. “If you call someone, usually you are calling for a reason,” he said. “In the group, you see the small things. Someone sends a picture from my grandmother’s house or they are joking about something that happened at lunch. You feel like you were there a little bit, even when you weren’t.” Research in Saudi Arabia suggests this everyday digital contact can reinforce family ties rather than compete with face-to-face communication. A study of 300 Saudi participants in Riyadh examining family communication during the COVID-19 pandemic found WhatsApp was the most commonly used platform for communicating with relatives, reported by 84 percent of respondents. People used social media to check on relatives, offer congratulations and condolences and exchange practical information. The study also identified drawbacks, including rumors and the difficulty of reaching some older relatives who did not use the apps. Earlier research into Saudi families similarly found that young people viewed WhatsApp groups as a way of strengthening family bonds. A doctoral study examining attitudes among Saudi parents and young people found that participants used social platforms for purposes ranging from family communication to news and education, while younger respondents described family WhatsApp groups as providing another space for connection and expression. In many families, younger members communicate through short messages, photographs, reactions and memes. Parents may send longer messages or family announcements. Grandparents who use smartphones can become some of the group’s most recognizable participants — whether through morning prayers, voice notes or photographs sent without explanation. For Al-Qahtani, her grandmother’s voice notes have become one of the reasons she rarely mutes the family chat for long. “She doesn’t type much, so she sends voice notes,” Al-Qahtani said. “Sometimes she is replying to one person but sends it to everyone. Everyone listens anyway.” Voice notes can also bridge a practical generational gap. They allow relatives who are less comfortable typing to take part in a conversation conducted largely through screens. At the same time, constant access creates its own family etiquette. Leaving a group can carry more meaning than leaving an ordinary online conversation. Reading an important announcement without responding can be noticed. Muting notifications may be essential in a large family, but missing a question directed at you can require an explanation later. For Sara Al-Dossari, 56, the group has been particularly useful as her children have grown older and their schedules have become harder to coordinate. “When they were young, I knew everything because everyone was in the house,” she said. “Now everyone has work and their own plans. The group is where I can ask everyone one question instead of calling five people.” Still, she does not see a screen as an alternative to gathering. “If everyone is sitting together and only looking at their phones, then what is the point?” she said. “The group helps us stay connected, but I still want everyone to come.” That may be the clearest distinction between the family group and the majlis it sometimes resembles. One keeps the conversation moving when people are apart. The other gives them somewhere to continue it when they are together. For Al-Qahtani, the two have become so closely connected that family gatherings sometimes begin with conversations nobody needs to explain. “You arrive and someone says, ‘Did you see what was sent in the group?’,” she said. Usually, everyone has.