Instant messaging

It’s official: WhatsApp is rolling out Channels 📱📢

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An update to WhatsApp is being rolled out and with it WhatsApp channels launched in 150 new countries. However, the channels are not channels for TV. No no!😅 But rather ways to get content and news from your different areas of interest.

Les chaînes WhatsApp déployées dans plus de 150 pays 🎊WhatsApp channels deployed in over 150 countries 🎊

In a blog post, WhatsApp announced the roll-out of the channels in more than 150 countries. According to WhatsApp, the idea behind channels is to have « the most private broadcasting service available ». This new feature, which is being tested from June in Colombia and Singapore (click here to read the article), offers brands, companies and creators the chance to communicate and interact with their community.

They are separated from the discussions and available in the News tab. As the privacy policy is de rigueur, other subscribers cannot find out who is following which account, nor can they know the personal details of channel admins and their subscribers. This distinguishes it from Instagram Channels, where all subscribers’ information is accessible. (click here to read the article)!

In practical terms, in a channel the sender transmits messages to his or her subscribers, who can only interact via emojis or by answering polls. The platform also offers the possibility of following themed accounts to get information on a variety of subjects: football, weather, cooking, cinema, discoveries, the unusual, etc.

For everything you love, WhatsApp is the news channel 😎

This method of communication will surely be familiar to you, as it is based on the principle of Telegram’s broadcast channels. Following on from Instagram Channels, Meta is now copying the Russian messaging service, using the same model.

If, for Instagram, channels are an ideal way of strengthening the relationship between influencers and their audience, WhatsApp channels could represent a privileged space for organisations and the media to communicate. A strategy that could benefit from the turbulence at X (formerly Twitter), even if it remains a major platform for brands and journalists?

A wide range of functions🤩

So, after receiving positive feedback from users in ten test countries, WhatsApp is unveiling Channels around the world with a few new features:

  • Improved directory: This makes it easier to filter information and follow an account according to your country of origin. In fact, it’s more relevant for the application to suggest Carrefour Cameroun or Hilton Cameroun to you first rather than an account from another country in the world. In other words, it’s easier to find new channels, the most active channels and the most popular channels based on the number of subscribers and your geolocation.
  • Reactions: You can react to content posted with emojis and see the total number of reactions, but your reactions will not be shown directly to other subscribers. No one will know if you put a smiling face, a crying face or just a heart.
  • Editing: WhatsApp will also introduce the ability to edit news stories for 30 days. After this period, the content will be automatically deleted from the application’s servers.
  • Transfer: You can also transfer news from channels to your discussions or groups. Messages will also include a link to the channel so that your friends can easily subscribe too.

© WhatsApp

At this stage, the channels are still being rolled out. They should be available to all users in the next few weeks. And everyone will be able to create a channel in the coming months.
In the meantime, sign up to this waiting list and find out more about creating Channels.

Sources: WhatsApp, TechCrunch

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