Meta-owned messaging platform WhatsApp on Tuesday announced that it is rolling out channels to more countries including Egypt, Chile, Malaysia, Morocco, Ukraine, Kenya, and Peru among others.
“WhatsApp Channels is now rolling out for you. Find, share and follow Channels that interest you,” the company added.
According to the social media app, channels are a one-way broadcast tool for admins to send text, photos, videos, stickers and polls.
To help you select channels to follow, WhatsApp said it is 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.
“We’re building Channels in a new tab called Updates – where you’ll find Status and channels you choose to follow – separate from your chats with family, friends, and communities,” said WhatsApp last month as it launched the new channels features.
“We’re aspiring to build the most private broadcast service available. This starts by protecting the personal information of both admins and followers,” it added.
The company says as admins of the WhatsApp channels, their phone numbers and profile photos won’t be shown to followers. Likewise, following a channel won’t reveal your phone number to the admin or other followers. Who you decide to follow is your choice and it’s private.
“Similar to how we build messaging, we don’t believe Channel updates should have to stick around forever. So we’ll only store channel history on our servers for up to 30 days and we’ll add ways to make updates disappear even faster from follower’s devices. Admins will also have the option to block screenshots and forwards from their channels.”
You can read more here: https://blog.whatsapp.com/introducing-whatsapp-channels-a-private-way-to-follow-what-matters
Do you have a story or an opinion to share? Email us on: [email protected] Or join the Daily Express WhatsApp channel for all the latest news and trends or join the Telegram Channel for the latest updates.
