WhatsApp continues to introduce new tools that are very reminiscent of Telegram. The instant messaging platform has announced that it is launching ‘Channels’, a one-way way of transmitting information and receiving the latest news from people and organizations directly in the app and privately. The user will only have to go to the new ‘News’ tab. For many, a way to escape from the countless groups.
“Today we are pleased to present the channels: a simple, reliable and private way to receive important news from people and organizations, directly on WhatsApp,” the company explains on its blog. With this new tool, channel administrators will be able to send text, photos, videos, ‘stikers’ and surveys. The messages will always be one-way, a way of “privately following the topics that most interest users.”
The channels will be displayed in a new ‘News’ tab, created for this purpose, in which the WhatsApp statuses and the channels that are followed will be seen. In this way, the news and updates will be separated from the chats in this new tab.
“To help you select which channels to follow, we’re creating a searchable directory where you can find your hobbies, sports teams, news from local officials and much more. You can also access a channel from invitation links sent by chat or email or published online â€, details the instant messaging platform.
According to the company, the goal is to create a transmission channel that is “as private as possible.” To do this, the privacy of both administrators and followers will be reinforced: “As a channel administrator, your telephone number and profile photo will not “They will be shown to followers. Similarly, when you follow a channel, your phone number will not be revealed to the admin or other followers. You decide who to follow and this choice is private.”
As with WhatsApp conversations, channel news will not always be available. Only the channel’s history will be stored for a maximum of 30 days, although the platform anticipates that it will add “ways to make news disappear even faster on followers’ devices.”
In addition, administrators will also have the option to block the options to take screenshots and forward content from the channel, safeguarding the privacy of the members and the content that is shared there.
Another important novelty of WhatsApp ‘Channels’ is that they will not be end-to-end encrypted by default: “We believe there are some cases where end-to-end encrypted channels for a limited audience might make sense, such as an organization not for profit or health, so we are exploring this option for the future as well.â€
For companies, the platform considers the possibility of “supporting administrators, offering them a way for them to build a business around their channel through extended payment services.”
