WhatsApp “Communities” emerged in the middle of last year and has since been implemented in just ten countries. To fix this, Meta finally announced expansion of functionality to more than 150 countries and some other new features.
With communities, you can browse different channels and decide to follow the ones that interest you. Meta says there are “thousands” of channels on the platformbut it makes clear that users cannot create their own channels at this time. However, this feature will be available later.
What are Communities on WhatsApp?
Communities are different from regular WhatsApp chats because they are separate and the people you choose to follow cannot be seen by others, so privacy is important. Moreover, WhatsApp recently updated its functionality to allow users to hide their phone numbers.
By joining the Netflix Community, For example, you will receive updates on new series right now. You will then be able to view messages but not reply to them. Your only option will be to react to this and your reaction will not be shared with other users.
Communities initially only allowed users to see new messages, but this broader rollout now adds some new features like chat-like emoji reactions and sorting and filtering. Channels are available depending on the country. The ability to send emoji reactions is a great way to engage with channels and let admins know what you think of their content.
Also remember that the personal information of administrators and members will remain confidential. Additionally, you cannot be automatically added to a channel by administrators. WhatsApp says the app update is available now on smartphones, you may need to wait a little longer before using it.
