WhatsApp’s New Channels Let Users Follow Updates From Organizations

WhatsApp is launching a new Channels feature that will let users follow updates from organizations in a private manner. WhatsApp Channels will be accessible from the new Updates tab in the app’s bottom navigation, right next to the new Communities feature.

“Channels are a one-way broadcast tool for admins to send text, photos, videos, stickers, and polls. To help you select channels to follow, we’re building a searchable directory where you can find your hobbies, sports teams, updates from local officials, and more. You can also get to a channel from invite links sent in chats, e-mail, or posted online,” the company explained today.

Just like WhatsApp Stories, Channel updates will be ephemeral. WhatsApp says that it will only store channel history on its servers for up to 30 days, and that it will “add ways to make updates disappear even faster from follower’s devices.” However, while WhatsApp Stories are designed to be shared with all of your contacts (or just some of your contacts), WhatsApp Channels are designed to share messages with a broad audience.

WhatsApp Channels are rolling out first in Colombia and Singapore, where WhatsApp has picked up a couple of organizations to test the feature. Eventually, anyone will be able to create a Channel on WhatsApp, not just organizations. The company also said that it’s exploring how to make some channels end-to-end encrypted by default, which could be useful for non-profit or health organizations.

Channels will expand to other countries in the coming months, and WhatsApp is also exploring how to monetize this feature. “We also believe there is an opportunity to support admins with a way for them to build a business around their channel using our expanding payment services as well as the ability to promote certain channels in the directory to help increase awareness,” the company said today.