After launching it in June 2023, WhatsApp is making a few changes to its Channels. Now, Channel admins can engage with their followers through a couple of new ways.
WhatsApp Channels was introduced to provide one-way communication to users. It lets users follow Channels on WhatsApp that align with their interests and hobbies.
In an update shared today, WhatsApp has officially announced that Channels is getting a poll feature and voice updates. Mark Zuckerberg also revealed the changes on his WhatsApp Channel stating:
"Hi everyone! We're announcing a bunch of new features for WA channels including voice notes, multiple admins, and sharing to status and polls..."
In a Facebook post, WhatsApp shared that the Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny is the first person to send a voice update to followers on his Channel. The feature works like a normal voice note but offers a new way for admins to contact their followers.
Another functionality WhatsApp is now rolling out to everyone is polls. WABetaInfo revealed this feature sometime last week when some Beta testers were able to access it.
It highlighted that polls on Channels can be limited to a single choice and the interface is also similar to that of group and individual chats for sharing polls.
According to WABetaInfo, the poll voters remain anonymous to not only other followers of the channel but to the owner as well. These polls were already available to group chats but are now coming to Channels.
Moreover, WhatsApp Channels is adding more admins to one Channel. Initially, there could only be one admin but now there can be up to 16 admins.
Admins can be added through the “Invite Admins” option accessible via the channel description page.
Lastly, WhatsApp is letting users share Channel updates on their Status on WhatsApp. This is to inform users about the latest updates being posted by the admin.
Hence, when a user presses the image or a message shared in the Channel, they can either forward it to other users or share it to their personal status in the form of Stories on WhatsApp.
Apart from this, WhatsApp added the ability to create your stickers on iOS last week. The capability automatically creates a sticker of the image selected by the user. The sticker can also be edited by adding text and can be shared with others.
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