WhatsApp is reportedly developing a new feature called WhatsApp Channels, designed to enable users to broadcast information to multiple recipients simultaneously. Following the recent introduction of a feature allowing users to “keep” disappearing messages, this new capability may soon allow users to create read-only channels for updates that others can subscribe to. The channels might not offer the same end-to-end encryption as regular chats, but members’ identities will remain private, according to reports.
According to information from the WhatsApp feature tracker, WABetaInfo, the latest beta version of WhatsApp for iOS (Testflight version 23.8.0) indicates that the company plans to enhance the Status tab with a new section for Channels. This section will feature a Find Channels button, allowing users to discover various channels. WABetaInfo reports that personal information such as users’ names and phone numbers will not be displayed in WhatsApp Channels.
This addition comes as a response to a similar feature established by WhatsApp’s competitor, Telegram, which allows users to subscribe to broadcast-only groups for updates and notifications. Telegram channels function similarly to what WhatsApp is proposing, offering a platform for one-way communication to subscribers.
WABetaInfo notes that users will need to manually subscribe to WhatsApp Channels, utilizing either the channel’s name or its handle. There are no plans for algorithmic recommendations or social graphs to suggest new channels to users.
Currently, the Channels feature is still under development, which means it is not yet available for testing by beta users on either iOS or Android versions of WhatsApp. Users will have to wait for further updates before they can create or join channels.
WhatsApp Channels are expected to be included in future beta releases of the app, followed by a rollout to all users on stable release channels. There is no confirmation on whether this feature will also be available on desktop versions for Windows or Mac.
In a related development last week, WhatsApp introduced a ‘Keep in Chat’ feature, enabling users to save messages in chats with disappearing messages. To protect privacy, the sender will be notified when a message is saved, with options to prevent other users from retaining a message.
