Mark Zuckerberg announced yesterday morning that WhatsApp communities will begin to roll out to users globally and will be available to everyone in the coming months.
As previously stated, WhatsApp has been working on Communities, a significant enhancement to how users will be able to connect on WhatsApp in the groups that are important to them. Communities such as neighbourhoods, school parents, and workplaces can now bring together multiple groups to manage group chats on WhatsApp.
How to Begin with WhatsApp Communities
WhatsApp Communities aims to set a new standard for how businesses interact while providing security and privacy unmatched by any other platform. For the current solutions to work, users have to give software or app developers a copy of their messages. WhatsApp says that end-to-end encryption gives a higher level of security than what is available now.
- Users can find the new Communities option at the top of their Android chats or at the bottom of their iOS chats.
- Users can then either add pre-existing groups or start a new community from scratch.
- Once a user has joined a community, they can easily switch between groups to get the information they need, when they need it. Administrators can also send important announcements to the entire community.
- The company has been working with over 50 organisations in 15 different countries to build communities that meet their needs, and the feedback it has received thus far indicates that these new tools are assisting groups like these in better organising themselves and achieving their goals.
More new WhatsApp features
WhatsApp also added in-chat polling and 32-person video calling, as well as groups of up to 1024 people. Any group can use these features, which include emoji reactions, more file sharing, and the ability to remove an admin, but communities will benefit the most from them.
Availability
WhatsApp will begin rolling out to users worldwide and will be available to everyone in the coming months.
Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s founder and CEO, said in a statement announcing the feature rollout:
Today we’re launching Communities on WhatsApp. It makes groups better by enabling sub-groups, multiple threads, announcement channels, and more. We’re also rolling out polls and 32 person video calling too. All secured by end to end encryption so your messages stay private.
