This is one of the ways in which the social platform is experimenting with providing more ways users can connect and chat with its 2 billion users, which would help the company make revenue along the way.
WhatsApp Channels messages will appear on the menu tab as Updates, which is quite different from the way it was designed on Instagram, which sees the channel announcements shown through direct messages. Although, Meta plans to use channels feature on WhatsApp to assist entities such as NGOs, medical research institutions, and fact-checking bodies instead of content creators.
On WhatsApp channels, Admins are allowed to send text, photos, videos, stickers, and polls on these channels. However, according to Meta, the conversation style is one-way so users are not allowed to reply to those messages. Users can join the channels through an invite link.
Meta is already building a channels directory, which would offer different channels for users such as hobbies, sports teams, and local officials. It also plans to introduce tools to admins that could enable them to turn off discoverability for their channels.
Meta has also announced Channels would be launched in selected markets(Colombia and Singapore), with certain organizations like Singapore Heart Foundation and fact checker Colombia Check already adopting the channel feature. Highly profile international partners have also come on board, which includes the International Rescue Committee (IRC), the World Health Organisation (WHO) as well as sports teams like FC Barcelona and Manchester City. The company also disclosed that it plans to extend the availability of Channels to other countries with its aim of providing all users with the ability to establish a Channel of their own.
Meta will seek to explore all the various possibilities within the Channel feature, which includes removing end-to-end encryption for large channels but not limiting the audience. The company is also seeking to explore other money-making revenue and may explore inducing payment services for businesses in Channels as well as the ability to advertise their business in the directory. The instant messaging platform in the last month has allowed users in Brazil and Singapore to pay merchants within the app.
