WhatsApp has been working hard on improving group chats recently. We have seen an increase in the number of users able to join groups, a controversial increase in group admin powers, and most recently we saw an update that will display user profile pictures right there in the group chat. Today we bring you news of an update that will further build on WhatsApp’s augmentation of group chats. Here is what you need to know about WhatsApp Communities.
A WhatsApp communities tab has been found in the latest WhatsApp beta version for Android 2.22.19.3. This is the second time the new Communities tab has been spotted on a version of WhatsApp, but it is the first time it has been spotted on a mobile version of the app.
WhatsApp Communities will offer a way for you to “Easily organize your related groups and send announcements.” WhatsApp sees the feature as working like neighborhoods or schools. The idea is that Communities will allow group chats to remain focused as the larger community of users can remain connected via the Communities tab while individual group chats held within the community can focus on individual subjects.
If you have ever caused uproar in a family or friends group chat talking about certain subjects like sports or politics, then you will immediately see the value the new Communities feature will bring to WhatsApp.
The current version of the feature, which is in beta testing, allows communities of up to 10 groups, each with up to 512 participants. Users can join the subgroups they like within the community and can leave a community group while staying in the wider community.
This feature is still in testing so we can’t offer an insight into when we might expect to see it rolled out to all users any time soon. You will have to keep checking in with us if this sounds like a feature you want to see on your version of WhatsApp. As soon as there is an update on the feature, we will bring it to you. In other recent WhatsApp news, we have been discussing what these official new icons mean for the future of the app.
Image via: WABetaInfo
