WhatsApp introduces Channels, here’s how it will help

Image: WhatsApp

WhatsApp has introduced Channels: an easy-to-use and private way to receive important updates from people and organisations, right within the interface.

The instant messaging and voice-over-IP service provider is building Channels in a new tab called Updates – where you’ll find Status and channels you choose to follow, which is separate from your chats with family, friends, and communities.

Channels are a one-way broadcast tool for admins to send text, photos, videos, stickers and polls.

To help you select channels to follow, WhatsApp is building a searchable directory where you can find your hobbies, sports teams, updates from local officials, and more. You can also get to a channel from invite links sent in chats, e-mail, or posted online.

WhatsApp aims to protect consumers on Channels

WhatsApp  said it aims to build the most private broadcast service available. This starts by protecting the personal information of both admins and followers.

According to a statement by the platform, as a channel admin, your phone number and profile photo won’t be shown to followers. Likewise, following a channel won’t reveal your phone number to the admin or other followers. Who you decide to follow is your choice and it’s private.

The channel archive/ history will on the platform’s servers for up to 30 days and WhatsApp will add ways to make updates disappear even faster from follower’s devices. Admins will also have the option to block screenshots and forwards from their channel.

Lastly, WhatsApp has now made it possible for admins to decide who can follow their channel and whether they want their channel to be discoverable in the directory or not.

Given the aim of Channels is to reach a wide audience, channels are not end-to-end encrypted by default, there are some cases where end-to-end encrypted channels to a limited audience might make sense, such as a non-profit or health organisation, and the platform is exploring this as a future option as well.

To kick off Channels, WhatsApp said it’s excited to work with leading global voices and select organisations in Colombia and Singapore, where  the feature will first be available, to build, learn, and adapt the experience.

It will expand Channels to more countries and the ability for anyone to create a channel over the coming months.

The platform sees it an opportunity to support admins with a way for them to build a business around their channel using our expanding payment services as well as the ability to promote certain channels in the directory to help increase awareness.

Naturally, the core of how people use WhatsApp will continue to be private messaging among friends, family, and communities, and that will remain the platform’s priority.

In recent news, WhatsApp introduced a new feature that allows users to edit their messages within a 15-minute window after sending them. To use this feature, users simply need to long-press on a sent message and select the “Edit” option from the menu.

When a message is edited, it will be marked as such, indicating that it has been modified. This feature eliminates the previous inconvenience of having to delete a hastily sent message and send a fresh one. In such cases, recipients were notified of the deleted message with a replacement stating, “This message was deleted.”

However, the edit history will not be displayed, ensuring that the original content remains private.