Amid Meta's financial woes (losing 70% of its share value since rebranding from Facebook), WhatsApp remains one of the company's best-performing services. Now, the instant messaging/communication app is landing a bunch of new features.
First up, WhatsApp is increasing the number of people who can enter a video call to 32. Groups on the app can now host up to 1,024 members, while it is now possible to create in-chat polls.
Leading the pack is a new WhatsApp feature known as Communities. Well, it is new in as much as it is leaving preview – where it has been since April – and becoming widely available.
Communities allow existing groups/organizations like school classes or meeting groups to gather in a single chat and share media. They borrow from the popular Groups and Channels feature on Telegram and provide more tools than regular WhatsApp groups. The company says Communities will have private and boast end-to-end encryption.
Features
Accessing Communities in WhatsApp is easy thanks to a new dedicated tab found at the top of chats on Android and below them on iOS.
Admins will get new tools to provide more oversight of Communities. For example, they can broadcast to all members and decide which groups participate in the community.
“We think Communities will make it easier for a school principal to bring all the parents of the school together to share must-read updates and set up groups about specific classes, extracurricular activities, or volunteer needs,” WhatsApp's blog points out.
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