Through a directory, the user can receive information and photos on topics of interest.
After months of rumors and leaks, WhatsApp, the most widely used messaging app in the world, has just officially announced through its official blog the arrival on its platform of one of the most promoted features: the channels.
The channels –unlike the classic chats– are a one-way broadcast tool for admins to send text, photos, videos, stickers and polls. Allows the user to select the channels to follow.
Its work logic is very similar to those offered by Telegram. The messaging platform is creating a directory with the search function where the user can find their hobbies, soccer leagues, cooking recipes and the latest news.
This feature is found within a new tab called “What’s New”, where users can find both states as channels that they decide to follow, thus separating them from the traditional chats they have with family, friends or communities.
A more direct way to access any of these channels is from an invite linkwhich can be personal or group, that was sent by chat or email or posted online.
The goal is to develop the most private streaming service available. To do this, the first step is to protect the personal information of both administrators and followers.
The recording of channel messages is limited to 30 days at most, but there will be an option to delete that history even before. Administrators will also be able to block options to take screenshots or forward content from the channel.
Admins will have the power to build a business around their channel through WhatsApp’s extended paid services, as well as promote certain channels in the directory to increase awareness.
Likewise, they will have the power to decide who can follow their channel and if they want their channel to be visible in the directory or not, since the objective of the channels is to reach a wide audience, they are not end-to-end encrypted in a way default.
WhatsApp Channels will initially be available on Columbia and Singaporewhere Meta has started a collaboration with leaders and organizations to deploy this “pilot” of this new option.
WhatsApp: you can now send high-resolution photos
Sending a photo by WhatsApp in its highest quality was quite an odyssey, since it compressed them automatically. But now, it will enable the option that allows to send HD imageswithout the need to send them as if they were documents or having to resort to third-party tools.
This has been confirmed by WABetaInfo, who show us how some users are already seeing the option of sending high-resolution images through WhatsApp when updating to the latest beta version of the application.
The HD option allows you to send the photo in 4K resolution as long as it is available. If this option is selected, an icon will appear over the image in the message bubble that contains it.
Sending high-resolution images on WhatsApp comes with version 23.11.0.76 of WhatsApp Beta for iOS, and with version 2.23.12.13 of WhatsApp Beta for Android. Both versions are already being distributed to users adhering to the testing program through the respective app stores.
SL
