Slack now shows a preview, description before you join a new channel

What you need to know

Slack for iOS has been updated with two new features and an important bug fix.
The new update is available in the App Store now.
New channels will be previewed before joining among other changes.

Slack’s added a couple of new features that will help people out.

Slack for iPhone and iPad now has a new update out that will display a preview of a channel before you join it, making it easier to decide whether you actually want to do so.

The updated Slack is now available in the App Store and offers a couple of new features — beginning with that channel preview.

When previewing a channel prior to joining, you’ll now see the channel description displayed with the channel name to provide a bit more context. For when you’re unsure whether #the-owls is a channel for ornithologists, insomniacs or fans of the show Twin Peaks.

Alongside that, Slack will now allow people to customize when their “Tomorrow” or “Next Week” reminders appear based on when workdays start.

If you’re someone whose workday doesn’t start at 9 am (or if you find Slackbot alerts first thing in the morning to be less of a pick-me-up and more of a put-me-down), you can now choose when your “Tomorrow” or “Next Week” reminders will appear. Head over to Preferences > Notifications to set the default that works best for you.

It isn’t all about new features, either. One of the best iPhone and Mac apps for keeping in touch with teams now also has a notable bug fix — tapping a message link will now take people to a thread rather than the parent message.

Fixed: Tapping on a message link from an app would always take you to the parent message, as opposed to a specific threaded reply. That was about as helpful as asking for directions to the Liberty Bell and being told it’s somewhere in Philadelphia. We took another crack at the design and recast it into something more appealing.

While those with Slack already installed will see the new update available for download now, those who don’t yet have it installed can grab it from the App Store now.