WhatsApp News Channels Feature Gradually Expanding Across Countries
WhatsApp is expanding its “channels” feature to more countries, following its launch in Singapore and Colombia. The new countries where users can now access channels are Egypt, Chile, Malaysia, Morocco, Ukraine, Kenya, and Peru. To check if the feature is enabled for their WhatsApp account, users in these countries need to update their WhatsApp application.
Channels are a separate feature from regular chats, allowing users to follow their preferred channels and receive updates from admins. Admins can share various content with their followers, such as text, photos, videos, stickers, and polls. The privacy of admins is maintained, as their phone numbers and profile photos remain hidden from followers. Similarly, the phone numbers of followers are not shown to the admins, ensuring privacy.
While the channels are not end-to-end encrypted by default, WhatsApp is planning to store channel history on their servers for up to 30 days and developing tools to make updates disappear faster from devices. Admins will have control over their channels, with the ability to block screenshots and forwards, make channels discoverable or hidden, and potentially introduce limited audience end-to-end encrypted channels in the future for non-profits or health institutions. The rollout of channels to more countries is expected to continue gradually.
