WhatsApp groups to get even bigger? New ‘community’ feature spotted again

WhatsApp is working on its Communities feature and more information has surfaced with the latest beta release. The WhatsApp beta for Android 2.21.25.17 version had some hints about the new Community features. However, a new WhatsApp Messenger beta for iOS 2.22.1.1 update has now revealed some more details about the new feature.

The new feature was spotted WABetaInfo, a website that tracks all the new features being rolled out in the instant messaging platform’s beta version.

Communities are like groups of various other groups and individuals. There can be multiple sub-groups within a community. This allows the instant messaging application to not only include a larger user base within. The community feature seems to be a general take on how Telegram channels work. While Telegram groups can accommodate up to 2,00,000 members, a Telegram channel can have unlimited subscribers.

Similar to WhatsApp groups, the new WhatsApp community messages are also expected to be end-end encrypted. Additionally, WABetaInfo confirmed that the user will be able to choose and link up to 10 groups in a community. The community will also have a name and description. This part seems very similar to how normal WhatsApp groups work.

One big difference compared to standard WhatsApp groups is that Communities might offer more control to admins. The admins will be able to broadcast messages on the community.

In order to distinguish a normal group from a WhatsApp community, the instant messaging application might even introduce a different shaped group icon.

According to the WABetaInfo report, when users join a community, they won’t be able to view groups that have been unlinked from a group admin. In addition, when users leave a community, they won’t be able to view linked groups to the community anymore.

As far as a launch date is concerned, WhatsApp has not made any official announcement. The feature is still under development. We will have more information about it once Beta testers get the feature up and running.

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