WhatsApp has unveiled an array of enhancements for its Channels service, designed to amplify user interaction and streamline channel management. The social media giant is rolling out these features on a global scale across its Android, iOS, and web platforms. Channels now support voice notes, enabling channel administrators to foster a more personal connection with their audience by sharing audio messages. This move is expected to bolster voice notes as a key communication method on WhatsApp, a platform that already sees 7 billion voice messages exchanged every day.
Apart from personal communication, this update introduces Polls, allowing channels to engage their followers in a more interactive way. Mark Zuckerberg demonstrated the utility of this feature by creating a poll to resolve a popular debate on the best game of all time. Moreover, users now have the ability to share channel content directly on their WhatsApp Status with the new Share to Status feature, thereby enhancing the visibility of channel updates.
To facilitate better channel oversight, WhatsApp has expanded the number of possible admins to 16. This enhancement allows for more effective content sharing and communication flow within Channels. With these updates, WhatsApp Channels have grown to host 500 million monthly active users, attracting celebrities such as Katrina Kaif and Vijay Deverakonda, as well as notable brands like Mumbai Indians, Mercedes F1, and Netflix, to connect with their followers in a private and direct manner, akin to Instagram’s broadcast feature.
Embracing these features, Telugu actor Ram Charan has expressed enthusiasm for engaging with fans through unique offerings like voice notes and polls on his WhatsApp Channel. Similarly, the IPL team Mumbai Indians is keen on leveraging these new features to deepen its connection with fans by sharing exciting updates and behind-the-scenes content. These enhancements are a testament to WhatsApp’s ongoing commitment to improving user experience and fostering richer engagement on its platform.