MOSCOW, June 8 WhatsApp announced the launch of channels in the messenger, in the coming months they will become available to all users, according to the messenger's official blog.
«Today we're introducing Channels, a simple, secure and private way to follow important news from people and organizations without leaving WhatsApp… We're partnering with the world's leading media and select organizations in Colombia and Singapore where channels will be available first . In the coming months, they will appear in other countries, and any user will be able to create them,» the message says.
Channels will be separate from chats and communities on a new «Relevant» tab. Channel administrators will be able to post messages, photos, videos, stickers and polls in them, while subscribers will only be able to view them. A catalog of channels will be created with news from local government agencies, content about sports, hobbies and more. It will be possible to go to the desired channel through a search in the catalog or using an invitation sent in a chat, email or published online.
It is noted that the administrator's phone number and profile photo will not be visible to subscribers, and subscribers' phone numbers will be hidden from everyone in the channel, including administrators. Also, no one will see which channels the user is subscribed to.
In addition, admins will be able to control who is allowed to subscribe to their channels, hide their channels from directory searches, and prevent them from taking screenshots of their channels and sharing content from them.
“We plan to give administrators the opportunity to earn money on their channels using our payment services, which are constantly evolving, as well as to promote certain channels in the catalog in order to attract more attention to them,” the message of the messenger adds.