WhatsApp has made its Channels feature generally available. This feature allows well-known people or organizations to send messages to large numbers of followers. These messages can only be read.
Meta previously released WhatsApp channels in a limited number of countries. Now Meta has made the feature available in more than 150 new countries, including Netherlands and Belgium. This allows users to follow the channels of known users, companies and organizations. Followers can read messages in these channels, but not respond to them. The function is therefore reminiscent of Telegram. That chat app has had similar read-only channels for some time.
The channels are separate from regular WhatsApp conversations and users cannot see which channels they follow. Meta is also adding some improvements to the Channels feature on Wednesday. This makes it possible to filter channels followed by country. Followers can now also leave emoji reactions to messages in channels. Admins can now edit posts in their channels for up to 30 days. They will then be automatically deleted from WhatsApp’s servers, Meta reports.
WhatsApp announced Kanalen in June. The feature was initially only tested by a limited number of organizations in Singapore and Colombia. The test version was later expanded to a total of ten countries. According to WhatsApp, “thousands of channels” from organizations, sports teams, artists and more are now appearing. Creating channels is currently reserved for large organizations or famous people, but ‘in the coming months’ it will be possible for everyone to start their own channel.
