Known to Telegram and Instagram users: Channels, a new feature of WhatsApp, allows Internet users to chat vertically with their subscribers.
You haven’t downloaded WhatsApp on your smartphone yet? Launched in 2009, this instant messaging has become essential for groups of friends, colleagues or professionals who want to share their ideas.
Send messages, photos, videos, geographical points, voice notes… Everything is possible with the application whose logo is a green phone. However, the company announced on Wednesday September 13 that new functionality would soon be available in France and in more than 150 countries.
The channels have been tested in Colombia and Singapore since June. They offer brands, companies and creatives the opportunity to communicate one-way and privately with their community.
This type of communication uses the principle of Telegram distribution channels, which have recently also been available on Instagram. On the latter, channels have proven that they are a good way to strengthen the relationship between influencers and their audience. On WhatsApp, the new service could instead represent a privileged space for organizations and media to communicate.
This new functionality will eventually make it possible to follow thematic accounts to benefit from information on various topics such as road traffic, weather, cooking recipes, etc.
The goal is to offer the “most private” streaming service, the application teams said. This is because the channels are separate from general discussions and other subscribers cannot find who a user wants to follow.
Additional services for global startups
To mark the international launch of channels on WhatsApp, some additional features have been added:
Improved directory
The application automatically recommends channels to follow filtered by the user’s country of residence. The aim is to make it easier to find new channels that are the most active and popular according to their number of subscribers.
Reactions
It will be possible to react to messages from broadcasters on the channels using emojis and see the total number of reactions. Individual reactions are not shown to other subscribers, they are only visible as a whole.
Changes
Channel admins can edit their messages for 30 days. After this period, WhatsApp automatically deletes the messages from the servers.
Transfer
When a user uploads messages to discussions or groups, the messages contain a link to the channel.
The channels are currently still in the deployment phase. They should be available to all users in the coming weeks.