WhatsApp launched a new feature of “Channels” in India on 13 September 2023 to follow up on all the latest news of your favourite celebrities, sports teams, etc. It is one of the most simple, reliable, and private ways to know all the updates from different people.
Right after the launch, more than millions of channels were already created for famous artists, celebrities, sports pages, etc. Anyone can easily find these new features in their WhatsApp “Status” section, with official blue ticks to know the verified account.
In this researched article, we’ll get to know more about this feature, including its benefits, impacts on society, and the plan behind it.
About WhatsApp Channels
The new feature of WhatsApp, Channels allows all individuals to directly connect with their favourite person or groups through stories, their reactions, etc. It increase the user time and improves the performance too, in terms of technical aspect. Basically, channels are a one-way medium made for the users to get updated, and admins can send text, photos, videos, stickers, and polls.
Under Status page, a new tab of “Channels will appear, where anyone can follow their loved ones – separately from their friends, family, or groups.
Key Features of WhatsApp Channels
There are multiple list of features offered by this new feature of WhatsApp, i.e. Channels, such as:
- Enhanced Security: For the admins of any channel, there will not be any circulation of the personal data such as phone number, address, etc. Everything is private in terms of both admin and followers, to preserve your identity.
- Advanced Channels Update: Under your channels section, you’ll automatically get the filtered channels list as per your preference. Even the most latest ones, or popular ones based on followers from your country, will be listed first.
- Reactions: For any channel posts, you can directly react with the stickers and emojis to give feedback.
- Forwarding Access: Anyone can easily share the link of any post or video from any channel to their friends, family members, or groups easily. There will be an additional link with other channels too, which are from same domain to increase interaction.
Channel Details View
Any official channel will present the profile picture, name, and number of followers for the account.
Channel view of Mark Zuckerberg:
Admin Access for the Channels
The main goal of WhatsApp in creating this new feature is to increase people’s interaction, user-time increase, and primarily, more security. Therefore, for any channel, the admins will have the following rights:
- Admins can decide who can follow their channel and when they want their channel to be discoverable in the directory.
- The personal data of admin will be stored securely in the backend.
- In WhatsApp’s server, the channel history will be stored only for maximum 30 days, and rest backup needs to be done.
- Admins will also have the option to block screenshots and forwards from their channel.
Categories to Search in Channels
There are primarily four filters launched by WhatsApp in searching for the channels, namely:
- Most Active Channels
- New Channels
- Popular Channels
- Channels (Classified based on Country)
Official WhatsApp Channels Intro
Views Over New Feature of Channels
Famous South-Indian Actor, Vijay Deverakonda expressed his views for the new WhatsApp feature of Channels:
“I am launching my Channel on WhatsApp today. Excited to share some great sneak peeks, exclusive behind-the-scenes content with my boys and girls across the country. And the best part is that it’s as simple as sending a message.”
Prominent Bollywood actress, Katrina Kaif mentioned her views for the Channels feature of WhatsApp:
“I am delighted to collaborate with WhatsApp for the launch of WhatsApp Channels. This platform provides me with an exciting opportunity to connect with those who are interested in various aspects of my life, be it my work in the film industry or my ventures in the business world, all of which I am deeply passionate about. WhatsApp Channels serves as a personalized newsletter through which I can share insights and updates with my dedicated audience, fans, and all those who have consistently shown their support throughout my journey.”
Wrapping Up
Channels feature of WhatsApp is expected to bring a boom in the growth of WhatsApp with all the creators and artists collaborated over the platform. Both admins and followers are having the list of features and security to express their views independently without any personal targets or opinions. Complete flexibility has been provided to the users to follow their loved ones, and get the latest updates regularly in a personal one-way mode.
FAQs – WhatsApp Channels
1. For how many days will the data be stored for any channel?
WhatsApp has officially released the update for saving any channel’s data for maximum 30 days in their server.
2. Can anyone get Channel Admin personal details?
No, WhatsApp has launched this new feature with extra-secured layer of protecting personal information such as phone number, address, etc. for both admins and followers.
3. How many channels an admin can create?
As per WhatsApp’s official terms, with one mobile number, any admin can create only one channel to update their latest photos, videos, etc.