Posted inNews, Latest News, Social Media

WhatsApp Debuts ‘One-to-many’ Private Broadcasting Channels

‘Whatsapp Channels’ to receive important updates from friends & family in a simple, reliable, and private way

by aayushi.samdani

More of this topic

WhatsApp Channels

WhatsApp announced on Thursday, June 8, that it began letting selected organizations try a new feature called “Channels” that lets them broadcast to followers on the popular, Meta-owned messaging service.

The debut comes as a mark for the messaging platform to be known for its features and encryption that protects against snooping. With more than 2 billion people around the world actively using WhatsApp, it is crucial to strengthen security and user engagement as a priority.

Whatsapp’s new update

Whatsapp is all set to capitalize on the rising fascination for direct messaging and drive engagement by announcing a new feature ‘Whatsapp Channels’. It’s new feature is introducing a convenient, trustworthy, and secure method to receive important updates directly from individuals and organizations.

With the addition of Channels in a dedicated tab called Updates, you can access both Status updates and the channels you choose to follow, all separate from your regular chats with loved ones and communities.

Channels serve as a one-way broadcasting tool for administrators to share text, photos, videos, stickers, and polls. To assist you in discovering relevant channels to follow, Whatsapp is also developing a searchable directory.

This directory will enable you to find updates related to your interests, such as hobbies, sports teams, and information from local officials. Additionally, you can easily access a channel through invite links shared in chats, emails, or posted online.

How will Whatsapp Channels work?

According to Whatsapp, “Channels are a one-way broadcast tool for admins to send text, photos, videos, stickers, and polls. To help you select channels to follow, we’re 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’s vision is to develop the most secure and private broadcast service available. To achieve this, it has prioritized the protection of personal information for both channel admins and followers.

As a channel admin, your phone number and profile photo will not be displayed to your followers. Similarly, when you follow a channel, your phone number remains undisclosed to the admin and other followers. The decision of whom you choose to follow is entirely your own, ensuring privacy.

Similar to its approach in messaging, WhatsApp Channel updates should not have to persist indefinitely. Therefore, Whatsapp will store channel history on its servers for a maximum of 30 days. Additionally, it has implemented features to allow updates to disappear even more rapidly from followers’ devices. Furthermore, channel admins will have the option to block screenshots and forwards within their channels.

Lastly, the admins will have the ability to control who can follow their channel and whether they want their channel to be discoverable in the directory. While the primary aim of Channels is to reach a wide audience, they are not end-to-end encrypted by default. However, WhatsApp recognizes that there are specific cases where end-to-end encryption for limited-audience channels, such as those belonging to non-profit or health organizations, could be beneficial. It is actively exploring this as a potential future option.

To launch Channels, Whatsapp has collaborated with prominent global voices and selected organizations in Colombia and Singapore, where Channels will initially be available. This collaboration will allow it to build, learn, and adapt the experience based on valuable feedback. “As we move forward, we have plans to introduce Channels to more countries and enable anyone to create their own channel in the coming months,” says the WhatsApp team.

Recognizing the potential to support admins in building businesses around their channels, Whatsapp is also expanding its payment services to provide them with opportunities for monetization. Additionally, WhatsApp is developing features that will allow certain channels to be promoted in the directory, enhancing visibility and increasing awareness.

Private messaging among friends, family, and communities will always remain at the core of how people use WhatsApp. That will continue to be WhatsApp’s top priority. The introduction of Channels is a significant step that users have long requested, and the platform believes the time is right to provide a simple, reliable, and private broadcast tool.

Stay updated on all of the latest news by subscribing to the ITP Live newsletter below or by clicking the push notifications.