WhatsApp, today, launched WhatsApp Channels to over 150 countries. According to parent company, Meta, WhatsApp Channels deliver a private way to receive updates that matter to you. “We’re welcoming thousands of organizations, sports teams, artists, and thought leaders that people can follow, right within WhatsApp,” they said in a statement.
At the moment, regular WhatsApp users cannot create a WhatsApp channel but BellaNaija, Nedu Wazobia and MC Lively have received complimentary channels. Mark Zuckerberg has also launched a WhatsApp Channel here.
Don’t see the update on your app? Join a waitlist to be notified once it is available in your region.
WhatsApp Channels is separate from regular chats – and communities. It is almost like Youtube or a website. There is no two-way interaction between the Channels admin/creator and the “subscriber.” The Channels you choose to follow are not visible to other followers. Personal information of both admins and followers are protected from each party.
While it initially shipped to ten countries, WhatsApp channels is now global with the following updates:
· Enhanced Directory – you can now find channels to follow that are automatically filtered based on your country. You can also view channels that are new, most active, and popular based on number of followers – aka, Trending.
· Reactions – you can react using emojis to give feedback and see a count of total reactions. How you react will not be shown to followers.
· Editing – soon, admins will be able to make changes to their Updates for up to 30 days, when we automatically delete them from our servers.
· Forwarding – whenever you forward an Update to chats or groups it will include a link back to the channel so people can find out more.
“This is just the beginning, and we’ll continue to add more features and expand Channels based on feedback we get from users. Over the coming months, we’ll also make it possible for anyone to create a channel,” Meta assures.
